How Strong Is Love?
by avafreak45
Summary: Will Prince Zuko and Princess Ayaka's love for each other be strong enough to withstand their families fued? Read to find out. DON'T IT SUCKS!
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** it's kind of like "Romeo and Juliet" but with a lot more drama and romance. Anyway, Prince Zuko and Princess Ayaka's families have been feuding since before Prince Ryu (Ayaka's brother) was even born. They used to get along, but over the years, their friendship turned into violent hate. They say it's because years ago, Zuko's great grandfather killed Ayaka's great grandmother for a crime she was falsely accused of: witchcraft. Ever since that time, both families don't want anything to do with each other and they've forbidden their children to be friends. However as Fate would have it, Zuko and Ayaka met and fell in love. But will their love for each other be enough to withstand their families feud? Or will they choose their own path towards love…or hate?

**Note: This takes place years BEFORE Prince Zuko had his "accident" so those of you who watch "Avatar" every Friday, then you know what I'm talking about.**

Chapter 1: The girl of my dreams.

Fire burst out of Prince Zuko's fist like a striking cobra. His opponent, caught of guard, fell to the ground. Zuko grinned. He had never before done that to anyone, let alone someone who was much bigger than him and a master Fire bender.

"Had enough Sensei Koryu?" he asked smirking. Koryu lay on the ground gasping for breath. "Yes, Prince Zuko your training is over for today. Whew! You nearly fried me! You have improved very much. I am very proud of you. This comes from a teacher, but also a friend. If you keep practicing, you will get better. Now, help me up if you please, it's rather uncomfortable on the cold floor of the Agnikai stadium" Prince Zuko laughed and helped his teacher up. "Thank you. Now go change and have some fun." Koryu said with a smile. "You know, for a twenty-year-old, you act like an old man." Said Zuko mischievous amusement in his voice. Koryu looked at his pupil. "Just go." He said. Zuko smiled. "O.k. _grandpa_." He said and left. Koryu just smiled and watched him leave.

After changing into black pants and a red shirt and after eating dinner (his favorite: roast duck with fried rice) Zuko went to go take a walk on the beach. As he was skipping stones across the water and trying "ever so carefully" not to hit a Fire Navy ship, he noticed someone, or some_thing _come to the shore and sit on the dock. Now, he was too far away to actually see who or _what_ it was, so he decided to go and investigate. As he got closer, he saw that there was a girl sitting on the dock instead of, (in his mind) a gigantic killer ape. He saw her pull out a wooden flute from her red dress and begin to play. Zuko, not wanting to be seen hid behind a large wooden pole under the dock and listened to the music. It was soft, quiet, and lovely to listen to. He got so lost in the music's rhythms that before he knew it, it was over.

"Please, don't stop playing, it's a beautiful song!" He said as he ran up on the deck. The girl, startled, sent a burst of fire at him, but he dodged it easily. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten…you." He said. He got a clear look at her face. She had long, dark, jet-black hair tied back in a ponytail with two shorter pieces of hair at the side of her face, and beautiful blue eyes. Zuko couldn't take his eyes off her for it was extremely unusual to see a Fire bender with blue eyes, but he didn't care, she was beautiful and (in his point of view) well developed. "Please don't stop playing it was a lovely song and I'd like to hear it again" he said, once he found his voice.

She looked at him questionably. "Don't you remember me?" she asked. Her voice sounded like a chorus of angels to Zuko. Zuko looked taken aback. "Have we …met …before?" he asked. She smiled. "Zuko, you haven't changed a bit." She said. "Try to remember." Zuko searched his mind to find out where he had seen her before. Then he remembered a time when he was a boy of about eight and he saw the same girl younger by maybe a year. He tried to remember her name. _'Ayaka'_ he thought. _Yes, it is Ayaka I'm sure of it._ "Uhhh, would your name just…happen to be…Ayaka?" He asked hesitantly. She beamed. "Yes, it would Prince Zuko." She said.

"Ummm…it's good to see you again prince Zuko, but I have to go." Ayaka said after there was an awkward moment of silence between them. "Oh…yes…of course." Zuko stammered as he watched her leave. He had a question for her, but couldn't remember what it was. "Wait!" He called after her once he remembered. Ayaka stopped and turned to face him. Zuko couldn't help but stare at her beauty. "Yes?" she said clearly annoyed that he called her but is not saying anything. Zuko shook his head clear of all his "fantasies" about her. "I was just wondering…when I could hear the song you played…again." He asked hesitantly. Ayaka smiled. "Meet me back here tomorrow at the same time. Then, I'll play for you." She said and left. As Zuko watched her go, he said to him, "I think I just met the girl of my dreams."

**So…what do you think? I'm open to any suggestions or criticism NOT ABUSE! Please review and tell me what you think. **


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for reviewing my story everyone it meant a lot (it's my first time writing) can't wait to hear more from you and others! (I also think Zuko looked cute before he got his scar -)

Chapter 2: Welcome to my life. 

Ayaka is just your regular girl, except for one thing-she just…happens to be a princess. Now, when you hear the word 'princess' you think of spoiled little brats who don't do anything but whine and cry all day and give people orders right? Well guess again 'cause honey, Ayaka ain't like that at all. She does all the things a princess is _not _supposed to do. She does Archery, practices her Fire bending with her older brother Ryu, (and wins) and does all the stuff a _Prince_ should do. Now, occasionally, she does do the stuff a princess would do, but she hates it. She hates it like a cat hates water. She thinks it's incredibly boring and totally not for her.

But today, as she was sailing back home (she lives on an island off the shore close to the Fire Nation) she felt like doing the things a Princess would normally do. For some strange reason, she felt incredibly happy, like a little girl who lost her doll and found it again. She kept having a picture of Zuko in her mind and kept thinking about how different he looked since she last saw him. She figured that he might be 15 or so. Her face turned into a scowl, _oh WHY the hell does my family hate Zuko's so much? They haven't done anything wrong! I'm not even sure if my BROTHER knows why they hate each other! _She thought. From the bow, she walked over to the stern of the ship and looked out on the open sea. There, she started to daydream until one of her crewmembers took her out of it.

"Lady Ayaka." he said. She quickly snapped back into reality. "Yes, Senswei, what is it?" she said, annoyed that he cut her off from her daydream. Senwei noticed her tone and said apologetically, " I am sorry to have cut you off from your daydream, but we will be reaching shore soon." Ayaka nodded her head. "O.k. thank you Senwei." She said. Senswei bowed and left. _Oh boy, going back home to my brother is gonna be SHIT LOADES OF FUN! _She thought. Her bother Ryu was 18 and old enough to inherit the throne. Ayaka was next in line to inherit but she'd have to wait four more years, she was only fourteen. Ryu is bigger, stronger, and more athletic than she is (or so he says.) They are both equally athletic but she is more agile. (Thus explaining WHY she beats him in EVERY Agnikai training session they have.)

"LAND HO!" shouted another one of her crewmembers from somewhere on the ship. Ayaka sighed. "Well, time to go and face my brother…and mother…and father." She said to herself. As soon as she walked through the steel doors, she was bombarded by a whole bunch of questions. "Where were you young lady!" asked her mother Queen Naoki. "Yeah, Ayaka, _where have you been?_" asked Ryu. He looked _exactly_ like her but with shorter hair and brown eyes. "How DARE you run away from us!" In her mind Ayaka was rolling her eyes. _I didn't run away people; I decided to go for some air…without telling you._ She thought. "SIIIIILEEEENCE!" shouted her father, King Kokuyo, ruler of the Shimon Fire Island. Everyone went quite 'cause when the King is mad, HE'S MAD! Ayaka gulped. The King looked at his daughter angrily.

"Now my daughter, tell me, WHY DID YOU RUN AWAY FROM US!" he yelled. Ayaka jumped. "Father," she began, "I did not run away, I just merely wanted some fresh air to clear my mind of…of…_shit! Come on Ayaka, think of a lie!_ She thought. "Of stress is all. So I went to…_uhhh, think, think, think! DO NOT TELL THEM YOU WENT TO THE FIRE NATION, THEY'RE GONNA KILL YOU! _She thought. "So I went to the other island next to us…300 miles…away. _Damn you idiot! You can't even think of a good lie! _She thought. Her father looked at her skeptically. "Are you lying to me?" he asked. Ayaka bowed. "No, Father on penalty of death, I am not lying to you." She said. She smirked 'penalty of death' was a pretty risky thing to say and she knew that her father hated her saying that so she knew she could get away with her lie. "Very well child, you may go." Said the King. "Thank you Father." Said Ayaka and went to her room.

As soon as she was in her room, Ayaka started playing the same song she played on the beach. She didn't forget that she had to go back to the Fire Nation tomorrow and play it for Zuko. There was a knock at her door and Ryu came in. "What do you want cretin?" she asked. "Ohh that's harsh." He said. She looked at him and smiled sarcastically and said in a "sweet" voice, "I'm sorry Ryu." Then in her normal voice, she said, "What the hell do you want?" Ryu smirked. "You better be a lot nicer to me Ayaka, I know where you _really _went today." Ayaka looked at him blankly. "I don't know what your talking about." She said innocently. "Oh, I'm thinkin' you do." He said coolly as he went and sat on her bed. "You see, I know that you went to," Ayaka held her breath _Please don't say it. Please don't say it._ She thought. Ryu smiled broadly for he knew she was nervous. "The Fire Nation." He said. "I'll do whatever you ask, just don't tell dad." Said Ayaka. Ryu grinned evilly. _Damn, I know that grin._ Thought Ayaka.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for reviewing everyone! (For chapters one and two.) All this helps a lot THANKS!**

**Lala-ness-**I probably won't stick entirely to the Romeo and Juliet story line.

Stormbender S.E-I think Zuko looked totally HOT without his scar - 

**Tacti-** I'll try to put a little more personality to my characters

**YoungGrasshopper7-** THANK YOU! I will try to look for some grammar mistakes in the future.

**Hiko-chan**- (love your penname) Thank you

Chapter 3: Anxious

That night Zuko couldn't sleep. He was too anxious about the day to come. He lay awake in his bed thinking. "Oh how I can not wait for daylight to appear, so soon I may see my love and how her radiance sparkles in the light of the setting sun. How the wind picks up her ebony hair and how her eyes sparkle like that of the ocean…oh night, why must you taunt me so? I have done nothing wrong. Please hurry and be gone so I may see my love," he whispered to himself in the dark of his room. (He can be a real romantic if he feels like it. Although it's never happened until now.) He turned on his side and tried to sleep, but it was no good, he couldn't sleep at all. "Grrrr, FUCK! THIS IS HOPELESS I CAN'T SLEEP!" he yelled. He got out of bed, ripped open his door and went to the kitchen to see if he could "eat himself to sleep" like his Uncle always does.

When he got to the kitchen he found his Uncle asleep on the counter. _What d'you know, big surprise._ He thought. He looked into the large freezer box they had stored in the floor of the kitchen to see what was left of that night's dinner. He found some rice and some squid and put it all in a bowl with some soy sauce. After he did all that, he sat down on the counter next to his Uncle and started to eat. After a few minutes of eating in silence, Zuko decided that he couldn't take it anymore and woke up his Uncle. "Uncle," he said pushing him back and forth. "Uncle, wake up!" he yelled. "Huh? What? Where am I?" the old man asked. Zuko rolled his eyes. _Where the hell do you think you are?_ He thought. "Zuko, is that you?" his Uncle asked. He yawned. "What are you doing up so late?" Zuko looked away. "I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come here." He said and continued eating his food. His Uncle looked at him in disbelief. "I sense there's something bothering you Prince Zuko, tell me what is it?" Zuko sighed. "You wouldn't understand." He said. His Uncle smirked. "Oh come now Prince Zuko. You think I was never a teenager?" he said as he laughed. Zuko finished eating and put his bowl in the sink. He sighed and looked at his Uncle. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked his eyes showing a desperate plea. _Oh boy, this is serious,_ thought his Uncle, but nonetheless, he agreed. "Of course Prince Zuko."

Zuko told him everything that happened to him yesterday and when he was done, he looked at his Uncle to see what he would say. His Uncle was stroking his beard, deep in thought. "Well, first thing's first, who do you want me to keep this a secret from?" he asked Zuko, who, by now was sitting beside him. "Everyone-including my Father." He said. His Uncle looked at him. "Including your Father? Zuko, I have NEVER kept anything from my brother and if he finds out that I'm keeping YOUR secret, well, he'll have us both." He said. "Please Uncle! You promised and I can't let anybody find out about Ayaka, if they do, I don't know, she might be killed-I MIGHT BE KILLED! Please, Uncle, please just keep this secret from everyone and I'll be forever grateful please?" begged Zuko, grabbing onto his Uncle's arm and looking at him desperately. "Did you say 'Ayaka'? THE Ayaka? PRINCESS of the Shimon Fire Island, DAUGHTER of King Kokuyo, and next in line to inherit the throne AFTER her brother Prince RYU?" asked his Uncle in disbelief. "The very same." said Zuko calmly. He let go of his Uncle's arm.

His Uncle sighed. "Very well, I will keep this secret from the world and your Father." He said. Zuko smiled. "Really? You will?" He asked. His Uncle stood up and so did he. "Yes. Prince Zuko. I will keep this secret to my grave." He said. Zuko's smile broadened. "Oh THANK YOU UNCLE!" He said, bowing. He started running to his room. "Prince Zuko?" his Uncle called. He stopped and turned. "Yes Uncle?" he asked. "Promise me one thing," he said. "What's that?" asked Zuko. His Uncle smiled. "Promise me…that you will go and see her tomorrow." Zuko smiled. "I will Uncle. You can count on it." He said. For the rest of the night Zuko slept soundly and WAITED for daylight to come this time.

**What do you think? Too short? I think it was too, but I couldn't think of anything else. Please review. I look forward to hearing from you guys! - **


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm glad you guys liked the chapter! Hope you like this one!**

**Hiko-chan- Thank you. I'm super glad you liked it. (I thought it was a little shaky and short.)**

**Flames 220- No, I'm not Asian. But I'm glad you're happy that I got the Asian stuff right. I'm really into Manga and stuff…like Avatar. I think it's really cool.**

**Stormbender S.E.- Ha Ha! Thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you liked it!**

Chapter4: The meeting and the surprise 

"I HAVE TO WHAT?" screamed Ayaka the next morning. The sun was up and she and Ryu were outside doing their morning chores. (Don't worry. They took showers and yes, hard to believe, I know. But _these two_ actually _do _chores, unlike the Princes and Princesses we think of. I _told _you guys that they're not like regular royal people.) "You have to do my chores for the next year if you don't want me to tell mom and dad about your "little" night out. Oh, and you _also_ have to tell mewho your meeting today." Ryu said mischievously. Ayaka rolled her eyes. _Picking the weeds out of Mom's flower garden, sweeping the floor, cleaning the ENTIRE castle, is HARD ENOUGH WITHOUT YOUR OWN NASTY CHORES ON TOP OF THEM!_ She thought."Your job is to clean the stables, feed the horses, and fish. NOT MINE!" she said under her breath. Unfortunately, Ryu heard her and looked up from his work. "Well, if your gonna be like that, then I guess it's okay for me to tell mom and dad…and your going to risk getting grounded for the rest of your life."

Ayaka looked at him. _Go to hell, _she thought. "Grrrr, ALRIGHT! I'LL DO YOUR FRIKING CHORES! You bugger." She added as she went back to work. Ryu gave her an evil smirk. "Good." He said. " 'Cause you never know if I could accidentally let something…slip." "YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" screamed Ayaka. Ryu smirked at her. "Try me." He said. Ayaka said nothing and went inside to do the rest of her chores. Ryu stayed outside and smiled to himself as he worked. "DAMN YOU RYU! YOU SHOULD SO GO TO HELL!" Ayaka screamed into her pillow when she was finally finished with her chores and in the silence of her room. She flipped over and sat up. Besides being angry with Ryu, she was also nervous. She was nervous about what she was going to happen hours from now. She was nervous about seeing Zuko again. She didn't quite know why, but every time she saw him, she got butterflies in her stomach, and the fact that she was going to play a song for him, just made her feel _sick_ to her stomach. _Oh man, just thinking about this is making me nervous. _She thought.

Later that day, Ayaka went to go see Zuko. Ryu came along just to see if they wouldn't _do anything._ It took a while and some yelling from him to make Ayaka feel guilty about her trip._ "Our families have hated each other since, like, EVER! And you're gonna go SEE HIM?" _He had said. "I still don't see why you have to do this." He told her on the ship. "Because I told him I would play him a song on my flute and I'm keeping my word." She said casually. Ryu groaned and left her to her thoughts. _Oh man, I don't think I can so this. I'm wicked nervous. _She thought. As soon as they landed on the shore, they saw Zuko. Ayaka was tempted to go run up to him and give him a hug and a kiss, but she restrained herself. Zuko looked frightened when he saw Ryu. After all, _no one _was supposed to know about him and Ayaka. "It's o.k. He said he'll this secret to his grave." Ayaka said to reassure Zuko that Ryu was their ally. "Ready for me to play you my song?" she asked. Zuko smiled. "I've been ready since yesterday. I couldn't wait to see you." Ayaka blushed and started to play.

Once the song was over, it was time for Ayaka and Ryu to leave. "See ya, Zuko!" Ryu called from the ship. "Ayaka, are you just going to stand on the beach, or are you coming?" he asked, for she had not moved from her spot. "I'm coming!" she yelled. She and Zuko looked at each other. Ayaka felt her face turn red. _He's so hot!_ She thought. "Well…um…bye, Zuko." She said shyly. "Bye, Ayaka." Said Zuko. Ayaka turned and walked towards the ship. "Wait!" yelled Zuko. He ran towards her and pulled her into a passionate kiss. And she kissed back. Zuko wrapped his arms around her waist while she placed her arms around his neck. They stayed like that for about two minutes and then gently pulled apart. "Just wanted to have said a proper good-bye." Said Zuko. Ayaka smiled and kissed him again. "Good-bye." She said as she boarded the ship. "Bye" said Zuko as he watched the ship leave the shore. She went directly to the stern of the ship.

"FINALLY! My sister's in love." Said Ryu as they came into the castle. "I _definitely_ didn't want you to have an arranged marriage and end up with some guy you totally hated." Ayaka couldn't help but smile the whole time. "My Lord and Lady," said one of the servants. "Yes, Hisui, what is it?" asked Ayaka. "The King and Queen would like to speak with you two." She said. They followed her to the Common Room and waited until she left to speak to their parents. Ryu went and sat on the couch while Ayaka remained standing. "Ayaka, dear," her Mother began. "Do you remember how your father and I have been trying to find a husband for you?" _Oh no, not this! _Thought Ayaka. "Yes." She said. "Well, my daughter, we have _finally_ found you a suitor!" said her Father. "Come in, son!" He added. To Ayaka's horror, in stepped none other than the person Ayaka hated in the _entire _universe. Captain Zhao came into the room and looked at Ayaka. "Surprised?" he asked. Ayaka and Ryu looked at each other both in complete shock.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4 was surprising huh? You guys seemed to like it. Hope you like this one! The reviews are keeping me motivated, so keep them coming!**

**Hiko-chan –**Yes, I agree, Zhao _is_ a pig but sadly, Ayaka_ has _to marry him. But she won't go down without a fight.

**Stormbender S.E. – **Get out from under that rock! Ha, Ha! Thanks for reviewing. What would you and Hiko-chan think if I made Zhao a complete pervert? Do you think it'll make the story more interesting? Let me know! - ****

Chapter 5: Captain Zhao, my husband!

Ayaka had moved from standing, to sitting on the couch between Ryu and her new 'husband.' _How could they do this to me? I _HATE _Zhao; he's the most disgusting man in the entire universe! Plus, he's a total perv! He is _NOT_ going to be my husband. Well, not if I have anything to say about it. _She thought. She was not about to let Captain Zhao come between her and Zuko. She had already kissed him and she was not going to let her lips be spoiled by this man. "Ayaka, dear, you must be so happy now that Captain Zhao is your husband. He's been waiting to have your hand for a long time, and now, he finally has." said her Mother. Ayaka just looked at her not knowing what to say. "Ayaka, aren't you excited? Your getting married to a respectable man and you not excited? Your Father and I have waited long for this day. We have been trying to find you a husband for so long. We didn't want you to get married to _his_ son and Captain Zhao has told us that he is neutral. He is not on either side of this battle. So I ask you again, aren't you excited?" asked her Mother. "Ecstatic." said Ayaka.

Her Father gave her a face that said '_don't you dare get smart, or you'll know what's good for you.' _ Ayaka looked at the ground. Her Father started to talk to Zhao. "Well, Zhao, excuse me, _Captain_ Zhao…" he began. "There's no need for that your majesty, 'Zhao' will do just fine." said Zhao. "Ah…well, yes, if you insist." Her Father continued. "Well, Zhao, I know _you_ must be excited about getting married to my daughter, are you not?" he said with a smile. "Indeed, I am. I'm very excited in fact. I can't wait." He said as he placed his hand on Ayaka's knee. Ayaka gave a tiny whimper and fortunately, only Ryu heard her. He looked at her knee and saw Zhao's hand. _Oh HELL no! _He thought. He quickly thought of a plan to get he and Ayaka out of the room. "Mother and Father," he began, and stood up. "Please, may Ayaka and I be excused? Ayaka is not feeling well and must be taken to her room at once." He said. His Mother and Father looked at each other then turned to him and said, "All right, you both can go." "Thank you." Said Ryu, bowing. He grabbed Ayaka's hand and led her out of the room and into hers and closed the door.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Ryu furious. "You think I know, 'cause, heh, I don't. The only thing I know is that we went to see Zuko, and now, I'M GETTING MARRIED TO A BASTARD!" yelled Ayaka, twice as furious than Ryu. Both of them were furious at their parents because they were acting like MORONS! (Parents can _definitely_ be morons sometime. -) Ryu sighed. "Well what are we gonna do?" he asked. "What?" asked Ayaka. " What-are-we-going-to-do?" he asked again. "Yeah, I know that Mr. Sped, what I meant was you-are-actually cool about me and Zuko being together?" asked Ayaka. Ryu looked at her. "Of course I'm cool with it." He said. "Ever since you guys kissed, I knew your love would last for a long time, and that's when I accepted and vowed that you two will never be apart for as long as you live." He said. "Awww…Ryu…you really mean that?" asked Ayaka. "From the bottom of my heart." He said. There was a slight pause. "Okay, so what are we going to do?" asked Ayaka. Ryu groaned. "You just killed the mood!" he said. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. So what-are-we-going-to-do?" asked Ayaka again. "I don't know. But we'll think of something." said Ryu. "Well, we'd better hurry and think of something 'cause I _do not_ want to get married to…_that thing _in the Common Room." said Ayaka. "Don't worry, you won't" said Ryu looking through the slightly open door, his brain working overtime, thinking of a plan to save his sister from her fate. She wasn't going to marry Captain Zhao if he had anything to say about it.

**Okay, who saw "Avatar" on Friday the 17th? At the near end of the episode, Zuko and Aang were having a moment, AND ZUKO JUST KILLS IT! HOW COULD HE DO THAT? THEY WERE HAVING A NICE HEART FILLED MOMENT – AND HE JUST KILLS IT! That got me soo pissed, I mean, WHO DOES THAT? Jeez…Oh, and picture Zuko (without his scar) singing (yes, singing) Daniel Bedingfield's (did I spell that right?) song "If your not the one." I think it romantic. Tell me what you think! I'll be waiting for your reviews! -**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you all for reviewing my story! Hope you all like this chapter!**

**Ice Dragons Forever-** Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, Zhao is a perv, but I want him that way. I feel he brings…a lot more character to the story.

**FairyPyrateChaosJoe-** Umm…I probably _won't_ kill Zhao and make my characters laugh evilly. But thanks for the suggestion! … 

**Hiko-chan-** Hey, Hiko-chan! Yeah, I agree that making Zhao a complete perv would be disgusting…but it's fun!

**Thanks to all of you! You guys are really making this story come together. Hope you guys have great summers!**

Chapter6: Bad news 

Zuko felt like a kid in a candy store when he walked home from the beach after Ayaka had gone. He had never felt so happy in his life. He felt like nothing could ruin the rest of his day. However, he noticed that his people seemed unusually happy. Not the kind of happy when you see your grandchild or something, but the kind of happiness you have when you're hiding something. Something that's dark and mysterious and could end in violence. This creeped Zuko out a little, but he was _dying _to know _why _they are so happy, so, he asked a civilian. "Excuse me, Ma'am? But, why are you all so happy?" he asked an elderly woman. She laughed evilly and said, "Because, my boy, something good is about to come to the Fire Nation… And then they will all PERISH!" she yelled and laughed her evil laugh and walked away. "PERISH! PERISH!" Zuko heard her yell as he watched her go. Now he was officially creeped out. "Ookay, that was…extremely freaky." He said. Once he had calmed himself, he continued his walk home although he didn't feel it quite as enjoyable anymore.

When he got home he found his uncle sitting in the living room. "Uncle," he said. "Is something wrong?" His uncle sighed. "Yes, Prince Zuko. Come sit down." The old general told his nephew. Zuko was about to go and sit down, when his uncle stopped him. "On second thought, Prince Zuko, why don't you go practice your Fire bending? I can tell you have much energy to spare." He said. "Okay. But first I've got to tell something that happened to me," said Zuko. "I'm listening," said his uncle. Zuko took a deep breath and began his story. When he was finished, his uncle looked saddened. "Word about this has spread faster than I thought." Iroh said under his breath. Unfortunately, Zuko heard some of it. "Word of what?" he asked. His uncle looked at him. "Uh…nothing Prince Zuko…it is nothing." He said as he tried to reassure his nephew that there was nothing to worry about. "Go practice now and meet me in the kitchen for dinner. I am making your favorite: roast duck with fried rice." His uncle said. _Oh shit. Something must be wrong because my uncle doesn't cook for me unless stuff has to do with me._ Zuko thought. "Umm…okay, I'll meet you for dinner," said Zuko and went to go change, and General Iroh was left to gather up his thoughts.

When Zuko was done practicing for the day, he went to meet his uncle like he planned. However, he did not plan to eat dinner with Sensei Koryu, nor did he plan to overhear what he and his uncle were discussing. "You didn't tell him did you," said Koryu. Zuko hid in the shadows of the corridor. He wanted to hear every word he could about what Koryu and his uncle were talking about. "No, I did not Koryu. I will wait until the time is right for him to know, and not before," said the General. "Well you have to tell him sometime. I mean the boy has a right to know, you can't just leave him in the dark, Iroh. The longer you wait, the more painful it will be for Zuko to accept the fact that…" but he was cut off. "ACHOO!" Zuko sneezed and blew his cover. _Fuck, _thought Zuko. "Prince Zuko. Come out from the shadows and come eat. Your food is getting cold," said his uncle. _Dammit! Just when things were getting interesting, I JUST HAVE TO SNEEZE,_ thought Zuko. Zuko sighed and went to the kitchen to eat. He was still eager to find out _what_ the two men were talking about and _why _it was about him. Koryu cleared his throat. "Well, I see that you two have some thinking to do. Good evening," he said as he bowed and left.

As soon as Koryu had left, Zuko was about to bombard his uncle with questions, but as soon as he opened his mouth, his uncle raised one hand and silenced him. "Your questions will be answered in good time, but not now. Now, you must eat." He said. "But Uncle," began Zuko. Again, General Iroh raised a hand to silence his nephew. "Your questions will be answered soon, Prince Zuko. Just eat for now," said his uncle and went into the living room. "Damn. Just when Koryu was about to speak, I just _have _to fricking sneeze," muttered Zuko as he stabbed his food with his fork and began to eat. When he was finished, he placed his bowl in the sink and when to see his uncle in the living room. But when he got there, his uncle was nowhere to be seen. "Great, just great. You want me to come see you, and your nowhere in sight. Thanks a lot Uncle, now I have to go find you," said Zuko as he stomped his way through the palace looking for his uncle. "Uncle!" yelled Zuko. "Uncle Iroh where are you?" he yelled all throughout the palace. He sat down next to a suit of armor. "I've looked everywhere and _still_ no sign of my Uncle," he said to himself. He sighed and stood up. "Even though I _know_ he's not going to be there, I'll go check in the living room…again…_for the third time!"_ he said to himself.

When he got to the living room, whom did he find but…his uncle. He was sitting on the same couch that Zuko saw him in earlier. Now Zuko was pissed, he had searched the _whole_ castle trying to find his uncle. "Grrrr, UNCLE! YOU WERE HERE THE WHOLE TIME? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING WHEN I WAS CALLING YOU? I SEARCHED THE WHOLE DAMN CASTLE! AND NOW…" he stopped for he could tell that his uncle seemed saddened. "Uncle?" began Zuko. "Are you all right? Since I came home, you've seemed…out of it." His uncle sighed. "Well, I have good reason to be…uh, 'out of it' as you say," said his uncle. Zuko sat on the other couch next to his uncle. "Why?" he asked. "Because, Prince Zuko, Captain Zhao is getting married," said the General. Now Zuko was confused. _Why is he sad about that? When someone's getting married you're supposed to be happy for him or her, right? Wait, on the other hand, Zhao _is_ a pervert. Why would anybody want to marry him? _Thought Zuko. Zuko chose his words carefully. "Ummm…shouldn't you be happy for him? I mean, I am, and it's about time he got married. I was worried that at his age, he'll _never _get married." He said. His uncle didn't say anything. _Poor Zuko, so naïve. He has no idea. _Thought his uncle. Zuko took a sighed deeply. "Whom is Zhao getting married to anyway?" He asked his uncle. His uncle sighed and then said, "Princess Ayaka." Zuko was in complete shock.


	7. Chapter 7

**To those of you who reviewed, what can I say but: THANK YOU! **

**Fire Blazing Chan S.E.- **I agree with you, people _should _watchmore spy movies. It should be… like the law: people have to do it…or else go to jail. Wasn't your name 'Stormbender S.E.' before? Why'd you change it? I liked that name. When I first saw your new name, I was all confused and I said to myself, "Wasn't her name Stormbender S.E.?" Then I put two and two together and realized it _was _you. Thanks for reviewing!

**Hiko-Chan-** Thank you for reviewing. And for the record, I too would rather die than be married to a pig like Zhao.

**Flames 220-** Thanks for reviewing. I LOVE ZUKO TOO! I, too, wish he would smile more, but alas, he doesn't. Wait, he did actually, _twice _in fact. In one episode, he laughed when Aang and people stole the pirate's ship and he grinned when his uncle told Commander Zhao that he was more honorable than him.

Chapter 7: A letter to my lover 

Zuko, too much in shock to realize where he was going, marched to his room and took out a pen and some paper. He was going to write to Ayaka and tell her to come visit him in the dead of night with her brother. Zuko invited Ryu because he knew that he couldn't stand Ayaka getting married to a pervert like Zhao as much as he did. As he wrote his letter, he started to think. _Zhao wouldn't have done this on his own,_ he thought, _there must be _something _or _someone _behind it. If I know Zhao, then there _has _to be some kind of explanation. Dammit! This fuckin' sucks ass! This is a whole bunch of bullshit! Crap! _Zuko had never cursed so much in his life, he was so mad. "Damn you Captain Zhao, when I get my hands on you I'm gonna kill you like the worthless piece of shit that you are," he said to himself. He finished writing his letter and looked it over. "That looks good enough. Time to send it," he said and walked to the place where his father kept reptilian birds. (He didn't know what the hell it was actually called, so he made up a name for it. This is it: "The Lair." Pretty stupid, huh?).

Once he got there, he found a bird named Orpheus who opened his beak for him to put the letter in. "Do you know where the Shimon Fire Island is, Orpheus?" Zuko asked the bird. Orpheus squawked to tell him that he did. Zuko smiled. "Good," he said. "Bring this letter to the palace and find Ayaka. She has long black hair, tied in a ponytail and blue eyes. Find her and give this to her. Understand?" he said to Orpheus. Again the bird squawked to show that he understood. Zuko grinned and put the letter in his beak. As soon as the bird disappeared, Zuko decided to go see his Sensei and talk to him about what he had just learned. He walked to the highest tower in the palace to where Koryu slept and knocked on the door. However, there was no answer, so he decided to let himself in. Koryu's room was well furbished and …uh, _interestingly_ decorated. Zuko kept his eyes shut…he didn't want to look at the walls…or the ceiling…or the mirror…or anything else in the room for that matter. _Koryu is just as perverted as Zhao, _thought Zuko. Zuko sighed. _Oh well, nothing you can do, I suppose, _he thought. "Sensei Koryu," called Zuko, hoping that Koryu was in his private bathroom, but there was no answer. _Dammit,_ thought Zuko, _This totally sucks! I can't talk to anyone about this! Damn! _And so, with his eyes still closed, he tried to walk out of Koryu's room. (However that proved _extremely _difficult so he opened his eyes and _ran _out the door.) "I'm never going into that room again," he said. When his "traumatic" experience was over, he turned around and kicked Koryu's door. _You suck,_ he thought.

Zuko sulked his way through the palace going wherever his feet would take him, he didn't care. All he wanted was to forget everything that happened to him. He had never felt so miserable in his life. "Grr. This is pointless. I can't just stay here feeling sorry for myself, like a little 5- year-old! I have to do _something!_" he said furious with himself for moping around the palace like a bum. He decided to go for a walk. He walked all along the beach and into the city. He didn't fell like doing anything at all but…well, sulk and feel sorry for himself. Dammit Zuko! Get a grip! Jeez! He longed for the time when he shall see Ayaka again when all is still and quiet… he couldn't wait. Well, Zuko's got _something _on his mind!

**Damn! This must be (in my opinion) the most boring chapter in my story! All Zuko does…is sulk! Man! Who knew he was so sensitive? This also must be the _shortest _chapter as well. sigh I still hope you guys like it. And for one person that Ididn't putin, I am so sorry! When I pressed the edit/preview button, I didn't see the save changes buttonand I thought I had to delete your name because I thought the page took up too much room. Again, I AM SO SORRY! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, I'm really glad that those of you who reviewed liked my chapter. Thanks, I thought _none_ of you would like it. Myself, I thought it was kinda boring. BUT ANYWAY, I THANK YOU ALL! **

**Fire Blazing Chan S.E-** Thanks for reviewing, and I like this penname too so DON'T CHANGE IT!

**Hiko-Chan-** Thank you for reviewing. Glad you liked Zuko swearing so much, and acting like a 5-year-old. And I'm also glad you thought it was cute.

**Flames 220-** Okay, okay, I'll try and make my chapters longer. And…umm…I don't think that I'm the right person to ask that question…but I can tell you who is! Her penname is "Lavanderrose" (no, I did not spell that wrong). Go to "search" and type in that name. Or, just look below! Click any one of her stories and review and ask her that question. That's how I got here. She's very honest and reliable. Tell her I sent you. She'll probably be nice. Oh, and thanks for reviewing!

**Brokn Innocence- **My Sensei! Thank you for reviewing! I, too, think Zuko is AWSOMELY HOT (without his scar) and I too can imagine him sulking like…a sad puppy. I already drew Ayaka, but I will try and draw Ryu, however, it's gonna take some time because I haven't drawn since school ended. (Don't yell at me!) Yes, you did see some familiar names, but they are from "Wish" (I know, really bad that I took them, but I couldn't think of any other names). Zuko is in my head for motivation! Both without a shirt…and with swim trunks! ****

**Lavanderrose-**_You finally read it!_ Yes, I did use the names from "Wish" you are correct. What do you mean _who's Zhao? _He's the guy who hates Zuko's guts, and he too wants the Avatar for his own reasons. And no, I don't think all parents are morons, so stop nagging me. … Where did this swimming goggle stuff come from? Are you acting crazy now too? COME BACK! I LIKE THE SANE YOU!

**Hope you like this chapter! **

Chapter 8: Midnight Meeting 

Ryu lay on his bed, his mind working furiously thinking of ways to get Ayaka out of this marriage. He could hear her humming as she chopped food for tonight's dinner. _Dammit,_ thought Ryu,_ if I don't think of anything fast, then Captain Zhao is gonna be my brother-in-law and I DO NOT WANT THAT! COME ON, STUPID, THINK! _ "Shut up and leave me ALONE!" he said. Almost immediately he thought,_ Shit. I'm talking to myself. I'm such an ass._ He turned on his side and tried to think. "Dammit! This fuckin' sucks!" he yelled. Suddenly, Ryu sat up like lightning. He had an idea that he was sure was going to work. He ran out of his room, and into the kitchen where his sister was chopping up cilantro. Type of herb. "Ayaka!" he said. His sister caught completely by surprise, screamed as if her head fell off. She turned, violent rage and anger burning in her eyes. "RYU! WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH YOU? I ALMOST CUT OFF MY HAND 'CAUSE OF YOU, DAMMIT! NEXT TIME, AT LEAST _WARN _SOMEONE BEFORE YOU COME HERE! HOLY SHIT!" she yelled and returned to her work.

Ryu looked at her. "Alright, alright, sorry, jeez, don't have a cow," he told her. "What are you so happy about anyway?" she asked moodily, still not looking at him. Ryu smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he said. Ayaka, still angry with him, turned and said, "Yes, I would, and unless you want to die where you stand, you'll tell me right now." "Alright, I'll tell you. Jeez," said Ryu. "I thought of a way to get you out of the marriage." Ayaka looked at him her face bright with a smile. "Are you serious? You figured something out? NO WAY!" She said. And, (with the knife still in her hand) rushed towards him to give him a hug. Ryu on the other hand, was totally aware of the knife and stopped his sister from coming any closer. "What?" she asked. Ryu pointed to her hand. "Knife," he said. "Oh," said Ayaka and walked back to the counter and placed the knife down, _and then _rushed forward to give Ryu a hug. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best brother in the world, how can I ever repay you?" she said as she hugged Ryu tighter with each word. Ryu was happy that is sister was happy, but the fact that he could hardly breathe due to his sister crushing him, cut down on the happiness. "Okay," he tried to say due to lack of oxygen, "Okay…Ayaka…too…much…love…can't…breathe." Ayaka looked at her brother for a second and then realized that she was crushing him. "Oh, crap. I'm sorry," she said as she quickly let go of him.

Ryu breathed deeply, grateful for the air that went into his lungs. "No problem, just…be a little more careful next time. You don't want to kill anybody," he said smiling. "That all depends on who the _somebody_ is," said Ayaka glowering. Ryu knew that she was thinking of Captain Zhao and how she would love to wring his neck. He smiled at the thought. "I saw that," said Ayaka smirking. "What are you smiling about?" she as asked. "Just thinking how it would look if you killed Captain Zhao," Ryu told her still smiling. "Well, isn't that sweet. A brother and sister sharing a moment together," said a voice behind them. Ayaka and Ryu turned only to be greeted by the face of Captain Zhao standing in the opening of the kitchen. They both wondered how long he had been standing there. "Holy crap! Don't you _ever_ go home?" asked Ayaka angrily. Both she and Ryu were glaring at him like he was the scum of the earth that had somehow managed to crawl its way into their lives. Zhao smirked, "No," he said, "your parents told me that I could spend the night here and…_get to know my wife._" He told her. Both Ayaka and Ryu's eyes widened in fear and shock. They still couldn't believe that their parents actually welcomed Captain Zhao with open arms and allowed him to stay in their home.

Ryu moved Ayaka behind him trying to protect her from the invisible force that was Zhao's words. He was glaring at him with immense hatred. "You'll never be alone with my sister. She's not yours. Not now, not ever. She'll never say 'I do'." He told him. Zhao merely chuckled. "Bold words for such a stupid boy. She may not be mine yet…but she will be. And sooner than you think." He told them and left them to ponder about what he said. "What the _hell _did he mean when he said that I'll be his 'sooner than you think?'" asked Ayaka. "I don't know, but we'll figure it out," Ryu assured her. "We'd better figure it out fast then," said Ayaka. Just then an enormous bird flew through the window and placed a piece of paper at Ayaka's feet and flew off. "Ookay. Uh…thank you…I think." Ryu said to the empty space where the bird had stood. They both stared at the paper like it was a very interesting rock, when Ayaka snatched it, grabbed Ryu's arm and dragged him to her room. "What the hell is that?" he asked her once they were safely locked inside Ayaka's room. "What does it look like genius? It's a letter." Ayaka told him as she opened it. "Yeah, I see that, but why did the bird give it to you? Shouldn't it have given it to either Mom or Dad?" he asked her. "No," said Ayaka in a voice that was barely a whisper. "Why not?" asked Ryu mimicking her. "Because this letter's from Zuko," she said.

"What! Why is he sending you" Ryu began but he was cut off by Ayaka. "He must've found out that I was getting married to Zhao," she said as she slumped onto her bed. Ryu sat down next to her and put his arm around her. "I was afraid of this, Ryu. I didn't want him to know, I didn't want him to worry. And now he knows and who knows what's gonna happen," she said to him. Ryu could see tears spring up in his sister's eyes. He pulled her closer to him as she started to cry. It was very rare for Ayaka to cry, because she usually keeps her emotions inside and locked away forever. However, here she was crying her eyes out on his shoulder and not ashamed. "What does the letter say?" he asked once she had stopped crying. Ayaka pulled away from him and read the letter out loud:

" '_My dearest Ayaka, dreadful news has just now reached me. This news, upon hearing it, has ripped the heart and soul out of my body. Please, Ayaka, tell me that you are not getting married to that fiend Zhao. Tell me it is all a lie. Ayaka, my darling, I love you more than anything in this entire world and seeing you getting married to Zhao is too much to bare. You are my heart and soul, without you I am lost. My mind is tormented with worry for you. All I ask of you is this: come and meet me tonight at midnight with your brother when the entire world is quiet and still. We can finally figure out what will become of us and what we can do to prevent this atrocity from happening. Remember, my love, that no matter what I love you and I shall always be there for you._

_With all the love in my heart,_

_Zuko_' "

There was a moment of silence and then Ryu said, "Wow. That's…whoa," he was too shocked to speak, for the letter had been too _lovey_ for his taste. "Come on, let's go," said Ayaka getting up and heading towards the door. Ryu, taken aback, said, "Wait, wait, hold up! Go _where_, exactly?" Ayaka looked at him like he was crazy. "To see Zuko, hello? Did you not _hear_ me read the letter?" she said. Ryu sighed. There was absolutely no stopping Ayaka when she sets her mind to something. "Alright, let's go," said a defeated Ryu. Ayaka was about to open the door when Ryu held her back. "Wait," he said. "How are we supposed to go see him, without Mom, Dad, _and _more importantly, Captain Zhao knowing where it is we are going? It's not like they're just gonna let us go without an explanation," he told her. "Hmmm," said Ayaka. "Good point. Well…we could always lie," she said. Ryu smirked and said, "Yeah, you're really good at that aren't you? Oh, and that's right, you still have to do my chores for not telling Mom and Dad where you went that day." _Damn. I was hoping he'd forget about that,_ thought Ayaka. Nevertheless, she said in her sweetest voice, "Yes, Ryu, I remember, and I owe you greatly for that," she said, but once she was done saying that, she gave him the finger. "We're wasting time," she said, "Now let's go." "Yeah, same to you," said Ryu as soon as he and Ayaka were out of her room. Thankfully, both Ryu and Ayaka made it safely out of their home without meeting anyone. Especially Captain Zhao, cause that would've been really bad.

Both holding small fires in the palms of their hands, because it was too dark to see anything, Ayaka and Ryu walked onto the shore of the Fire Nation. "I wonder where Zuko is," said Ayaka. "Maybe he's at the dock, where you played for him last time. C'mon let's go look," said Ryu. Sure enough, they found Zuko leaning against a pillar underneath the dock, dressed in a red shirt and black pants. As soon as she saw him, Ayaka rushed forward and gave him a hug and a kiss, which he returned passionately. "Alright, alright, alright, that's enough you two. Jeez…get a room," said Ryu as he came toward them. Ayaka smirked. "What," she said with her arms around Zuko's neck, "jealous?" "I am not jealous of you guys, _why _would I be jealous of you guys? I just think it's kinda gross the way you two smooch all over each other like a married couple," said Ryu. "Hey, you know what Ryu, that's not bad idea," said Zuko smirking and holding Ayaka close to him, tightly around her waist. "What is, getting married?" asked Ayaka, looking up at him. "Yeah, why not? You were already about to get married weren't you? Just don't get don't get married to Zhao…and get married to me instead," he said as he kissed Ayaka's neck. "What! No way! Ayaka's not ready to get married, not to Captain Zhao, or to you! Is _this _what you wanted to talk about? _This_ is why you dragged us over here? To ask Ayaka to marry you?" exclaimed Ryu. "If that's all, then we're going home," he continued, but he didn't really mean it. Ayaka stayed quiet during Ryu's outburst with Zuko. _Getting married to Zuko…that's like a dream true for me. I want to get married to Zuko…and I will,_ thought Ayaka.

"Ayaka," began Ryu, "are you okay? You seem awfully quiet." "I want to marry you, Zuko," said Ayaka, in a voice that was so quiet, neither Zuko nor Ryu heard her. "What?" asked Zuko, looking at her. She turned her head to look at him, and said very clearly, "I want to marry you, Zuko." Ryu's mouth fell open, and Zuko looked at her, smiling form ear to ear. "Really?" he asked her. Ayaka grinned and said, "Yeah, really." Then Zuko and Ayaka kissed, long and hard (Ryu kept his eyes shut tight throughout the whole thing). When they finally broke apart, (to Ryu's immense relief) Zuko took out something from his pocket. It was a black-banded choker with a teardrop shaped ruby hanging from it. "Oh, Zuko, it's beautiful," exclaimed Ayaka when she saw it. Zuko smiled. "I thought you'd like it," he said, and he placed the choker around her neck. "You look beautiful," said Zuko when he saw that it was on her. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, she looks great. Ayaka can we go now? I think I'm about gag," said Ryu. His sister ignored him and turned her attention back to her new fiancé. "This necklace is beautiful, Zuko, but…I don't have anything for you," she said apologetically. "That's all right, don't worry about it," Zuko said. There was a pause. "I love you, Ayaka," said Zuko. "I love you to," said Ayaka. They were about to kiss again, when an impatient _someone_ interrupted them, saying, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, love all around. Ayaka, cam we _go now?_ It is starting to get late…or early depending on how you look at it. Say good-bye to your boyfriend and let's go. The crew might wake up any moment and you don't want them to see you guy's together, cause they tell everything to Mom and Dad." "Alright, alright! Jeez, get a grip, we're going," yelled a very annoyed Ayaka. She turned to Zuko again. "I'm sorry, Zuko. My brother's being an ass about this whole thing, so…I'm gonna have to go," she said. Zuko sighed and said playfully, "If you must." Ayaka chuckled, kissed him on the cheek, and boarded the ship. "Finally!" said Ryu, once he and Ayaka were on the ship sailing home, "when we get back home we're going to have a serious talk about this, first of all, we can't let Mom and Dad find out about this, or they're gonna kill us, second…" Ayaka tuned him out after this. All she could think about was the fact that nothing could ruin this night for her.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey everybody! Glad you all liked the Chapter! Hope you all like this one!

**Fire Blazing Chan S.E-** Glad you liked all the fluff! This one, however, doesn't have fluff, mostly…evil.

**RupertGrintIsCute-** Thank you for reviewing, however, that was only chapter one, but anyway, thanks.

**Brokn Innocence-** Hey! Thank you for reviewing! Ryu _was_ kinda funny and, yeah, Zhao _should _drop dead…but that's not how the story goes. But you could always imagine him dropping dead where he stands, if that makes you happy. I do have a few drawings to show you as well.

**Flames 220-** SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! It's just that it was giving me a ridiculously hard time and I had to change a whole _bunch_ of things that I didn't like, and all that stuff…it just gave me a wicked hard time. Anyway, I'm glad you liked it. And YES! _Finally_, it's longer! I was happy about that too, I was getting sick of writing short chapters. Thanks for reviewing; I'm glad you thought it was funny. Oh, and don't be so hard on yourself…you're not _that _random. Just kidding!

**Hiko-Chan-** Thanks for reviewing! I admit, I _could've _made Ryu a little more sensitive to the emotional displays, but I wanted it to be funny, and making Ryu sound like he would give anything to be anywhere else rather than on the beach with his sister and her boyfriend, excuse me, _fiancé, _sounded good to me.

**Lavanderrose-** Thank you! Glad you liked it. You really have to get used to swears, cause, there's gonna be a lot more. And yes, you are always nice! I just said that to see your reaction. And I got what I wanted. By bragging, I meant that whole 'Damn, I good' at the end of your chapter. That's what I meant. Ah, wearing swimming goggles while reading my story…YEP! YOU WERE DEFINITLEY NOT IN THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND!

**The title speaks for itself, so…here's Chapter 9!**

**Chapter 9: A letter to the Fire Lord**

Captain Zhao was sitting at his desk in his room, pen and paper in hand writing a letter. He had been secluded in his room since the moment with Ryu and Ayaka earlier before. He had, of course, noticed them leave the palace, but to where was none of this concern. His main concern right now was finishing this letter to the Fire Lord. He had promised Fire Lord Ozai that he would write a letter to him as soon as everything was ready. Now, everything was ready for the Fire Lord. All he had to do…was supply the troops. Zhao smiled to himself. _Those fools, _he thought, _they actually think that I'm neutral in their idiotic battle? They're even stupider than I thought if they believe me. And they want me to rule their kingdom alongside their daughter. Ha! I'll kill her as soon as I'm done with the rest of her family. That brother of hers is starting to get on my nerves. He actually believes that he could protect her from me. Little does he know he can't even protect himself from me. He's almost as stubborn as the Fire Lord's spoiled son, Zuko. _All these thoughts he put into writing, except for the last sentence, because Zhao didn't want to be killed when the Fire Lord read this.

There was a knock at the door. Zhao, extremely annoyed, ripped open the door. "What?" he barked. Hisui, the kitchen maiden, who just happened to hate Zhao as much as Ryu and Ayaka did, stood her ground and said, in a voice that clearly showed that she wished him nothing but ill, "The King and Queen want to make sure that you have a comfortable night. They sent me to bring you these," she was holding a stack of comforters and pillows up for him. He took them without saying 'Thank you.' Just as she was about to leave, Zhao asked her, "Do you happen to know where my fiancé is?" Hisui stopped dead in her tracks. Of course she knew where she went. She was the only one whom Ayaka told about, apart from her brother, of her rendezvous' with Zuko. _Surely she wouldn't have gone to see him. Not when Captain Zhao is here. She could get into a whole lot of trouble! I could get in a lot of trouble! Her brother could get in a lot of trouble, _she thought. _Okay, Hisui, stay calm, _she told herself, _just…lie. Tell him that you have no idea where she is, and he'll leave you alone, _she thought.

"Well? Do you know where she is or not?" asked an impatient Zhao. Hisui turned, and said in the same voice, "No. I have no idea where she could be. Goodnight, Captain," and left. Zhao closed the door, put the comforters and pillows down on his bed, and resumed writing his letter. _My Lord, _he wrote, _would you want me to kill all the other inhabitants in the palace? Or would you rather have me enslave them and force them to do your bidding? Just a thought, Zhao. _When he was finished, he whistled for his pet hawk, Kowiji. It came through his window and Zhao placed the letter in his mouth. Zhao knew that Kowiji had waited a long time for this moment, and he wasn't going to let anyone stop him. "Kowiji," said Zhao, "you know where to take this. But just to make sure, take it to Fire Lord Ozai. He will be expecting you." With that, Kowiji flew into the air and out the window, determined to make his Master proud. When Kowiji left, Zhao walked to his bed, placed the comforters and pillows on the floor, got in bed, and went to sleep.

**At the Fire Lord's Palace**

Fire Lord Ozai was in his war room talking to the Fire Nation war soldiers. "My Lord," said one soldier, "we have been waiting for Captain Zhao's letter for days and still no word." An elderly man looked at the young soldier. "Patience, young one. These things take time. It had to be planned first of all. And it's not like we can just barge in and kill them all just like that. We need to know if their guard is off, so we can take them by surprise. The Fire Lord has entrusted Captain Zhao and believes that he will do as he was instructed to do." The young soldier just looked at him, and then turned his attention back to the Fire Lord. "My Lord," he began, but the flames that had risen up into the air cut him off. The soldier had angered the Fire Lord. "SILENCE!" he said. "Captain Zhao has done what was requested of him. Here comes his hawk, Kowiji." And, as if on cue, Captain Zhao's hawk had flown through the open window. The bird flew over the soldiers' heads and to the Fire Lord. It placed the letter into his outstretched hand and left to go sit in its perch. Fire Lord Ozai read the letter and grinned evilly as his eyes zoomed from side to side. When he was finished with it, he spoke. "Everything is set for us, however…there seems to be a problem."

One soldier stood up. "A problem, My Lord?" he asked. "Yes, a problem you imbecile, do you speak English?" snapped the Fire Lord. The soldier quickly sat down and looked at the ground. "It appears that the King and Queen are preparing a masquerade ball for their … "lovely" daughter." There was a pause. When no one spoke, the evil Lord continued. "So I was thinking that perhaps, I could send some of you as spies to tell Zhao when it is time to attack. Agreed?" There was a murmur of "yes, My Lord" in the group of soldiers. "Good," said the Fire Lord. He then raised his goblet and everyone else followed suite. "To the demise of King Kokuyo, Queen Naoki, and their children," he said. Everyone else did and said the same. In his mind, the Fire Lord laughed evilly, thinking about the untimely death that was about to come to the Royal family. _Those fools, _he thought, _they'll have no idea what hit them. _

**I know, I know, it's short. But it's all I could think of. Hopefully, the next chapter will be longer than this, and it won't take me as long to update this time. Anyway, I hope you like it. Please R&R.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Mi Amigas! Como estas? Ha, ha! Just joking. Like I was really going to speak in Spanish the whole time. I don't even know the language, but I'd like to learn! Anyway, glad you all liked the chapter! (Even though it was WICKED SHORT! I'M SO MAD AT MYSELF! GRRR!) For those of you who reviewed: Thank you! **

**Ally- **Thanks you for reviewing! Sorry I didn't add you in the last chapter, I forgot about you. Oh well! No hard feelings right? Right? I guess not since you told me that I suck because I didn't add you. WELL, HERE'S A NEWS FLASH FOR YOU: YOU SUCK! Kidding!

**Brokn Innocence-** Thank you! Really? You thought it was informative? I just thought it was wicked short. You're welcome for the personal update message. I thought that if I entrusted Lavanderrose, then you'd never read it. Just Kidding! You'll find out how the three teens cope with this, don't worry.

**Fire Blazing Chan S.E-** Thank you!

**Flames 220-** I'M SO SORRY I HURT YOUR FEELINGS! I DIDN'T MEAN TO I SWEAR! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I'M SORRY! Thank you though. The answer to your question is I purposely left Zuko out of the chapter, because I wanted one chapter dedicated to the evilness that is Captain Zhao, and the Fire Lord. I'm glad you liked it! Sorry it was so short, I couldn't think of anything else.

**Lavanderrose-** Calm down! You'll find out, don't worry! Holy monkeys! I'm sorry, I forgot to call you, so sorry! I'm very forgetful. I don't like to admit it, but I think my memory only lasts 3 seconds, like a goldfish.

**Thank you all! I hope you all like this chapter!**

**Chapter 10: A new dress and an invite **

Ryu and Ayaka didn't get home until 2: 00 a.m. the next morning. By the time they were in their rooms, they were dead to the world. That is to say, they were so tired, that by the time they put on their sleepwear and climbed into bed, they immediately fell asleep and if a single-minded person took one look at them, he/she would assume that they had suddenly died…shocking. However, wishing he could have had a few more hours of sleep, Ryu was awakened by someone shaking him rather roughly. Groggy and tired, Ryu looked up wearily to see who had disturbed his slumber. "Ryu, dear, wake up," said his Mother. Ryu, though still rather tired, could see that by the light that was coming through his window, it must've been 7: 00 in the morning, and his Mother was not intending to leave him alone until he got out of bed. "Ryu, hurry up, we're going to be late. I have an appointment to pick up something for your sister, and if I don't make it, someone else is going to take it," said his Mother. _WOMAN, I'M FUCKING TIRED RIGHT NOW, AND IF YOU DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE TO GET SOME SLEEP, I'M GOING TO SNAP!_ Thought Ryu. Nonetheless, though still groggy, he sat up in bed. "If you have an appointment with someone, then why do I have to come?" he asked her. "Because, my son, I know you can actually keep a secret. This whole thing is supposed to be a surprise. Now go take a bath and get dressed," she told him. Sighing, he obeyed. "DAMN! I ONLY GOT 5 HOURS OF SLEEP! THAT WOMAN MUST'VE GOTTEN AT LEATST THE WHOLE 8 HOURS! GRRRR, I HATE THIS DAY! AND WHY DO I HAVE TO COME? CAN'T SHE GO BY HERSELF? I MEAN SHE HAS LEGS TOO, NOT JUST ME. COULDN'T ONE OF THE SERVANTS GO WITH HER? DAMMIT!"Ryu complained about his Mother all through his bath and as he was getting dressed. When he had finished eating his breakfast, he found his Mother waiting for him in the Common Room.

"Oh good, you're ready," she said. "Now come on, we'll be late." And she walked out the door, Ryu behind her. "Mom," asked Ryu, "just exactly _where_ are we going?" "We're going to a shop to pick up a dress for Ayaka, and maybe something for you too" she replied. Ryu was confused. "Why are we picking up these things?" he asked. His Mother gave him a smirk. "You'll see," she said. Although, the Ryu had lived on an island all his life, he never noticed how big it actually was. (That is to say, he never actually knew that his island had shops and stuff.) Before Ryu could take in the scenery of his home, he and his Mother were already in town. Ryu was in awe at all the things there was in town, while his Mother looked quite at home. She then led them to a nice little shop in a part of town, and they walked inside. "Helloo? Is anybody home?" his Mother asked playfully as she stopped at the desk. An elderly woman came out of the back room. She was very short, but could still be seen over the desk. Her hair was white and tied in a tight neat bun. "Good morning, Your Majesty," she said. Her voice had a sweet grandmotherly sound to it. "Good morning, Shari. Is the dress ready?" asked Naoki. "Yes, Your Majesty, it is ready. I will have my granddaughter bring it out. Shuri!" she called. From the back came a beautiful girl of about Ryu's age wearing a navy blue silk, short-sleeved dress. The collar and the hem of the sleeves were light blue. Ryu assumed that the hem of the skirt was also light blue. The colors of the flower patterns on her dress were black, and her hair was pulled back in a bun, like her grandmother's. She seemed to be carrying another dress but of red silk.

"Here you are, Your Majesty. One red silk dress with gold," she said and unfolded the dress. The dress looked much like her own, however instead of black floral patterns, it had delicate golden flowers and vines all over it. Also, much like her own, the hems of the sleeves and skirt were gold instead of light blue, and the collar came down first as a very short straight line then went at a diagonal to the right shoulder, then down the length of the dress. Ryu noticed that the dress had two very large slits going up on either side of it stopping just below the waist. _If Mom thinks that Ayaka is going to wear this dress for Captain Zhao, then she's dead wrong. If I were Ayaka then I wouldn't even wear this dress for such a grotesque man,_ thought Ryu. He looked again at the dress. _On the other hand, _he thought, _she might be tempted to wear it for Zuko. Ah, whatever. It's her dress, not mine. She can do whatever she wants with it. _"Oh, Shuri, it's beautiful! You really out-did yourself," said the Queen. "Wait," said Ryu taking in what his Mother just said, "You _made _this…with your hands?' he asked. Shuri just looked at him and said, "Yes. How else would you make a dress this delicate?" "I don't know…machines?" said Ryu. Everyone laughed and Ryu was sent into a wave of embarrassment. He could feel his cheeks going bright red as blood rushed into them. "N-no, dear boy. Not m-machines," said Shari as she tried to control her fits of laughter. "A machine would eat this alive," said Shuri once she had controlled herself. She then began to put the dress into a small, white cardboard box, and then wrapped it with a pale yellow ribbon and handed it to Ryu.

"Here you are. I hope your sister will like it," she said to him. Ryu looked at her suspiciously. "How do you know I have a sister?" he asked. "Well, if she's the one making the dress, then she needs to know who it's for, doesn't she Ryu?" his Mother asked him. He looked at the ground. "Well if you gonna put it like that…" he mumbled. Naoki turned her attention back to Shari. "Well, Shari, how much do I owe you?" she asked. The old woman looked at the box with the dress inside, considering its value. "Well…by the quality and craftsmanship of the dress…I would say…300 gold pieces," she said. "Okay, 300 it is," said the Queen, and she pulled out a small sack of money from the waistband of her dress, and placed it on the counter. "There should be about…500 gold pieces. You can keep the change as a 'thank you' gift and buy yourselves something nice. For you and your granddaughter. Isn't it about time for her to be looking for a husband? Ryu, I think you will do nicely," Naoki said, looking at her son. "Uh, Mom, I think we should we now," said Ryu as he walked out of the shop, blushing madly. The Queen smiled as her son left, and then turned again to the shop owners. "Well, I couldn't thank you enough, the dress is beautiful. Good-bye," she said and followed her son. "Mom…_why did you say that?_" asked Ryu as he and his Mother walked to get some lunch in a restaurant.

"Well, because I'm right. She _is_ looking for a husband, and you _will_ do nicely," she said. "Yeah, well, I'm not looking for a wife yet. And I probably won't have one any time soon, so can you _please _stop saying that?" Ryu asked her. "Oh alright, fine. I just don't want you to end up lonely is all. That's why your Father and I arranged your sister's marriage," she told him. "But Mom, she's fourteen! She has plenty of time to think about marriage!" he exclaimed his voice and temper rising. He couldn't believe out of all the men there were in the world, his parents just _had_ to pick Zhao. "Don't raise your voice at me, Ryu," said his Mother threateningly. They didn't speak anymore once they were in the restaurant, and once they were out. Ryu, for fear that he would get the scolding of his life, and his Mother…well…because she had nothing to say. (For the first time in her life.) Once they got home, they found Ayaka practicing her Fire bending with her Sensei, Lili. "Ayaka!" called her Mother. "Ayaka, dear, come inside! Your brother and I have a surprise for you!" Ryu saw his sister dodge a Fire blast, bow to her Sensei, and come toward them. Her Mother walked towards the palace. When Ayaka got closer, she took one look at her brother and said, "Whoa! You look tired." Ryu glared at her. "Heh, heh, YOU THINK! You know what time I got up this morning? SEVEN! SEVEN-O'CLOCK-IN-THE-DAMN-MORNING! That's five hours of sleep. FIVE HOURS! BECAUSE OF YOU I GOT ONLY FIVE HOURS OF SLEEP! THANKS A LOT, MUNCHKIN!" And he stomped into the palace, Ayaka behind him. _Jeez, you don't have to yell, _thought Ayaka.

"Is Zhao still here?" Ryu whispered to Ayaka, once they were in the palace. "Yeah, unfortunately," replied his sister. "I asked Dad when he's going home, but he said that I wasn't being a good bride by wanting my… husband," she did quotes with her fingers, "out of the house." Ryu sighed. "Well, maybe I should ask him when Zhao's leaving." He reasoned. Ayaka chuckled. "Good luck," she said, "He'll just say, 'you're not being a very good brother-in-law if you want your sister's husband out of the house so much.' " "Well, at least I could try," said Ryu. "Not a good idea," said Ayaka. "Why not?" asked her brother. "Because Dad said that if he hears one more sentence with the words 'Zhao', 'leaving', and 'home' then we're gonna be grounded, and the wedding will be pushed up," she said. Once she said 'wedding will be pushed up,' the siblings both made faces of disgust. They both walked into the Common Room to find their Mother, Father, and (much to their chagrin) Captain Zhao. "Ryu," said their Mother, "what are you still doing with the box? Give it to your sister." "Oh, yeah, sorry. Here you go," said Ryu. He had totally forgotten that he'd been holding the box since he and his sister walked into the palace. He handed it to Ayaka. "What's this?" she asked. "Open it and you'll found out," said her Father. "I'm sure you'll like it," he continued. Ayaka did what she was told. When she saw the dress, she gasped. "Oh, Mother! It's beautiful! I don't know what to say," she exclaimed. "How about a 'thank you' to your brother and your Mother," said Zhao. Ryu felt flames form in his hands. _She doesn't need you to tell her what to do, _he thought savagely. Ayaka saw the flames in her brother's hands, and flicked his ear to get his attention. "Hey, calm down, okay? I can handle it," she said. Ryu glared back at Captain Zhao, who smirked.

"Ayaka, aren't you going to try on the dress?" asked her Father. "Uh…before you do that," started Ryu, "Ayaka, I need to talk to you. Bring the dress," he whispered. Ayaka followed her brother into his room, carrying the dress. "Ryu, what's going on? Why don't you want me to try on the dress?" asked Ayaka. "Hello? Have you _seen _the two enormous slits going up the dress?" he said as he past his arm up the side of the dress. Ayaka saw that the slits stopped just below the waist. Her eyes widened. "I'm not wearing this! Especially when there's a pervert in the room!" she said. "Exactly," said Ryu. "That is precisely why you can't wear this dress." Ayaka looked hurt. 'But it'll make Mom and Dad so happy though," she said. "Yeah, it'll also make Zhao happy," said Ryu. Ayaka sighed. "Well,' she said, "That's a risk I'm going to have to take." Ryu's mouth fell open. "You're going to _wear _it?" he asked in disbelief. "Yup! I kind of have to," said Ayaka. Ryu sighed. "Alright," he said. "Go on." Before Ayaka could reach the door, Ryu stopped her. "Do you still have that necklace?" he asked. "Yes," replied Ayaka. "I'm wearing it." "You're _wearing _it?" he asked. "Calm down, Ryu," said Ayaka. "If somebody asks me where I got it, I say that I bought it in town, like, two days ago, and I haven't worn it until now," she said and walked out the door. When she was done changing into her dress, she felt extremely uncomfortable, because she didn't like the fact that the two slits showed almost all of her legs. That, and because Zhao never took his eyes off her.

"Oh! Wait here Ayaka, I have something else for you," said her Mother and she left the room. When she returned, she had a small stack of envelopes, a white mask with red gems on the corners that goes around your eyes only, and red shoes that Ayaka was sure almost looked like slippers. "Here, try these on," she said and she handed the mask and shoes to Ayaka. They fit perfectly. "Mom?" asked Ayaka, "What's all this stuff for?" Her Mother handed Ryu half the stack of envelopes and half to her. "Invite anyone you like," she said. "Invite then to what?" asked Ryu and Ayaka in unison. "I'm sure you and your friends will have a fun time," their Father said. "Yes, I'm sure they would," said Zhao. "Have fun at _what_?" asked the two teens. "At the _ball _of course," said the adults. "What ball?" asked Ayaka. "Why don't you guys tell us anything?" asked Ryu. "Why, your ball, Ayaka," said her Mother, ignoring Ryu. "My ball?" Ayaka said. "Yes, my daughter. We are throwing a ball for you in your honor, signifying that you are to be married to Zhao," said her Father. "WHAAAAT?" said the two teens. "Well, if you don't like it, then we can just…burn the invitations," said their Mother. "No!" said Ayaka. She had just remembered that most important thing there was to this ball: she can invite whomever she wanted. The entire family looked at her. "I mean…why burn them? It'll be a waste. Why don't we just send them and let all our friends come and we can all have a blast?" she said. "I knew you'd like the idea," said her Father. "Great! I'm gonna go send these now," said Ayaka. She ran out of the room, Ryu following her, suspicious of what she was thinking.

"What are you doing?" he asked, once he found her in her room. "What does it look like? I'm sending these invitations?" she replied. "To _whom, _dare I ask?' said Ryu. "Oh, a few people…Suki, Ryoko, Tangi…Zuko." She said 'Zuko' in a hushed voice, but unfortunately Ryu heard it. "What! You can't invite him!" he said. "Why not?" she said. Ryu looked flabbergasted. "Well…uh…because…" he stammered. "Ha! You can't even think of a good reason," said Ayaka. "Alright, fine! I give up," said Ryu, finally giving in. "Wooo! I'm so happy! Thank you!" said Ayaka and gave her brother a hug. "Yeah, yeah, I know…I'm a softy," he said. "But Mom and Dad can't find out about this," he continued. "It's gone this far, and they haven't got a clue," said Ayaka. "What makes you think they're going to find out now?" she continued. She moved away from her brother. She held up an invitation and looked at it. "I'm inviting Zuko…and we're all going to have a blast," she whispered.

**Wheeee! This one's done! I'm so happy! I'm thinking of writing a sequel to this story. Don't worry; this is not the last chapter! What do you guys think, should I write a sequel? Anyway, please read and review. You all know what to do. Until the next chapter! **

**Signed,**

**Redroseternity **a.k.a.** - Mango **


	11. Chapter 11

**Weee! Thanks for reviewing you guys! I'm glad you all liked it! I hope you like this chapter. It starts off…well…I don't want to give it away, so you're just going to have to read. Hope you like it! **

**Flames 220- **Okay, a sequel is a continuation of a story. Like…umm…the "Harry Potter" series. Each book is a continuation of the one before it. And, like…the "Series of Unfortunate Events" books. Each book is a sequel. Okay? You get it? I'm planning to continue this story, so the continuation of this story will be a sequel. Oh, and one more thing…please don't kill me! I swear I didn't mean to hurt your feelings! I'm sorry! Just kidding. Thanks for reviewing. For the record, I too would be way too embarrassed to wear that dress in front of _anyone _let alone my mom.

**Lavanderrose- **Thank you! I appreciate your comment about my dress design. One day, it just popped into my head and I had to write it down on a piece of paper so I wouldn't forget. Like I said before, I think my memory last only 3 seconds. You are correct, sir! The ball _is _going to be a bunch of people wearing masks. It has to be otherwise Ayaka won't be able to invite Zuko. Hee, hee. Interesting things will happen. But…I don't know. Thank you for reviewing.

**Fire Blazing Chan S.E.-** I agree with you…it wasn't that short. I'm happy that it wasn't. Yes…Zhao is, in fact a perv. You go and pass on that news that Zhao is a perv. I support you. I will make a sequel, but it depends on how I end this.

**Ally-** Yes! You must review for all of the chapters! Why would you even think that you don't have to review for all of the chapters? The idea! I am greatly disappointed in you! By the way…you mixed up the characters. **Zuko** is the lover of Ayaka and he is also the Fire Lord's son. **Ryu **was the one who was complaining about his mother. Not Zuko. Ryu. Ree-you. Okay? Okay. Well! Now that we cleared that up, thanks for your review!

**Brokn Innocence- **Uhh…you hope the ball will do what to Zhao? You kind of lost me. I think what you're trying to tell me is that you hope the ball will expose Zhao and the Fire Lord's plan and then Zhao would be either executed or banished from the island. Right? Correct me if I'm wrong. It's all right. I forgive you, no worries. You'll find out how Zuko's going to make it to the ball, and no, Ryu is not going to marry. This story is about Ayaka, Zuko, and their problems. Ryu…just happens to be tied into it. Till the sequel!

**I really hope you guys like this chapter!**

Chapter 11: Receiving the invitation 

General Iroh was sound asleep and snoring loudly in bed. He had just gone to bed at 2:30 that morning waiting for Zuko to come home. It was now 10:00 in the morning. Everyone else in the palace was awake except for him and Zuko. Zuko was sound asleep in his room dreaming happily about Ayaka. Iroh was dreaming about his favorite kind of foods and things like that. Just then, a bird flew threw the window and landed on the General's stomach. It had a purple envelope in its beak and after a moment of not being noticed, it took matters into its own hands. It pecked at the sleeping General, bit his ears and even sang very loudly into them. Iroh woke with a start. "Oh," he said, relieved that it was only a bird. (He had been dreaming that it was a bunch of angry old people chasing him around the world.) "You startled me, little bird," he said. Actually the bird was fairly big but seeing as how the General was finally awake, the bird didn't care what the old man said about his size. It held up the envelope for him to see. "What's this?" he asked himself. His question would soon be answered. He opened the envelope and read,

_You are cordially invited to the upcoming ball celebrating Princess Ayaka's betrothal to Captain Zhao. It will be a costume ball, so proper dress is required. You may wear whatever costume you like and you may invite whomever you wish. Please keep in mind that proper behavior is required for this as well, and anyone who disrespects the Princess or her family will immediately be thrown out. The ball will be tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. and shall end at midnight. We all hope you can make it. We are sure you will have a wonderful time. Yours truly,_

_Princess Ayaka and her family _

"Well," said Iroh, "if the Princess is willing to expose her love for Zuko by sending this invitation, then she must really want him to come. Don't you think so, little bird?" But the bird had already left, its job fulfilled. The old man sighed. "Well, I should give this to Zuko. He will be so excited," he said. Just then there was a knock at his door. "General Iroh," came the voice of a soldier. _Uh-oh! I'd better hide this, quickly!_ He thought. "General Iroh," said the voice, clearly becoming annoyed at his silence. "Just a minute, I am coming," he said to the soldier. The soldier sighed and began to reach for the door handle. Iroh saw the handle turn from inside. "I must think of something fast! I have to hide this thing!" he whispered to himself. The door burst open, and the soldier looked at the old General who was sitting on his bed. "Is everything all right in here, sir?" he asked. "Uh, yes. Heh…why do you ask?" said Iroh smiling unconvincingly. The soldier could tell that Iroh was hiding something, for he was sweating uncontrollably, and extremely fidgety. "Never mind. The Fire Lord wishes to see you immediately," said the soldier. "He says it is very important." "All right, I'll be right there," said the General as he watched the soldier leave. When the door was closed, Iroh let out a sigh of relief. He got up from his bed, and reached in between the mattress and the bed itself and pulled out the invitation. "Phew. That was a close one," he said. Once he took a bath and got dressed, he went to put the invitation in Zuko's room. When he opened the door, he saw that his nephew was still fast asleep, and he didn't feel like waking him. "I'll just put it here on his mantelpiece, he's sure to see it," he said to himself. He then walked to the Fire Lord's war room. Upon entering, he sat down in silence and waited to be addressed. "Iroh," said the Fire Lord. "Yes, My Lord," he said. Iroh hated saying 'My Lord' to his own brother, he felt like a servant addressing his Master. "You are here, concerning the upcoming ball for the Princess, Ayaka," the Fire Lord said. Now, Iroh was terrified. What if his brother found out about Zuko's undying love for Ayaka and vise-versa? What if he found out about him _supporting _Zuko's love for the girl? Iroh didn't want to think about that. If the Fire Lord found out, then he'll kill them both. He did his best to hide his growing fear.

By the time Iroh's appointment with his brother was over, he felt sick to his stomach. His brother told him everything of his plan to rid the islanders of their Royals. How he was going to have spies, assassins, and just about everything you need to kill someone. He even told him that Zhao was in on everything. That information came as a shock to him, for he trusted Zhao and never dreamed that he would want to kill anyone. "How will I explain this to Zuko?" He asked himself. He reached Zuko's door, mentally bracing himself for what he was about to tell his nephew. When he opened the door, he saw that Zuko was wide-awake reading the invitation he had placed on his mantelpiece, and smiling broadly. "Zuko," said his Uncle. "Uncle, you won't believe what I just got," said Zuko. "Zuko, you have to listen to me," began his Uncle. "I will, you just have to read this first," said Zuko. Iroh sighed. "I already read it. Now listen Zuko what I have to say is very important and I need you to -" But Zuko interrupted him again and said, "Well, if you already read it, then you know that I have to go." Then he started pacing around the room and appeared to speak to himself rather than his Uncle. "Now, I need a good costume, then I need to figure out how I'm going to get there, Uncle," he said turning his attention to the old man. "How am I going to get there? You think one of the Fire Navy ships would be too…suspicious? I mean our families aren't even supposed to be talking to each other. Imagine what would happen if they found out that I am in love with their daughter, " he asked.

Iroh couldn't bring himself to tell his nephew what his father told him. _Zuko looks so happy_, he thought, _I have never seen him this happy before. It would be wrong of me to destroy such happiness, especially one so pure. He has to figure it out on his own, even though it might break his heart._ "Uncle, are you okay?" asked Zuko for his Uncle was silent for a long time. Iroh looked at Zuko and smiled. "Yes Prince Zuko, I am fine. Now, we need to find you a good costume, and figure out how you are going to get to the palace. A ship wouldn't be so bad, but make sure it has your little boat in it," he said. "Why?" asked Zuko. "Just in case," said his Uncle. "In case of _what, _exactly?" Zuko asked. "In…case…someone…suspects us and we have to make a getaway. That little boat is faster that a ship don't you think?" said Iroh, thinking fast. Zuko shrugged. "Alright, I guess that'll work," he said and went to go take a bath. "Uncle," he said before he went. "Yes, Prince Zuko?" said his Uncle. "I just wanted to say…thanks for not telling anyone about me and Ayaka," he said sheepishly and smiling slightly. Iroh smiled at his nephew. "You're welcome, Prince Zuko. Now go get ready, we have a costume to look for!" he said. Zuko smiled and left the room. Iroh sighed heavily. "Prince Zuko," he said to himself, "You have no idea what you are getting yourself into. But I could not bring myself to tell you that Ayaka and her family are in grave danger, and you putting yourself into it does not help in the slightest." He sighed again. "But you must figure this out on your own…I just hope your heart can bear the pain."


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi, Hi! So sorry this chapter took so long to update. I had to run things over in my mind (it was hard!) to see how it would fit in the story. I am so sorry! Thanks for reviewing everyone!**

**Brokn Innocence- **Please do not beat your head viciously on the monitor. I hate to read that my Sensei's in pain. Uh…Zuko, Ayaka, and Ryu will somehow find a way out of this mess, I assure you. Thanks for your review!

**Ally-** Thanks for your review! I probably won't make someone die until the next chapter, but I don't know yet. But thanks for the idea! Now all I have to do is figure out who.

**Fire Blazing Chan S.E- **Thanks for your review. I hope you like this chapter.

**Lavanderrose- **Thanks for the tip! I'll keep that in mind when I'm doing the sequel! Oh, and thanks for your review.

**Flames 220-** Thanks for reviewing! If I were Iroh, I still wouldn't have told Zuko, I'd feel to guilty because he was so happy, and I killed it! I destroyed his happiness! How could I be so cruel? (slaps self) Sorry, getting off the subject. I know, I know, it was short, and I'm really sorry.

**Well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It took me a while figure out how things would fit in, but I think this works. Enjoy chapter 12!**

**Note: I have no idea what day it is in the story, so I just put in Saturday; cause I thought Saturday would be a good day for the ball.**

Chapter 12: A secret exposed 

"All right! It's Saturday!" screamed Ayaka the next morning. She had just woken up and was sitting in bed with the covers over her legs. She ran her fingers through her dark hair, her hair tie on her wrist. "Woo! Now all I have to do is wake up Ryu and tell him the good news!" she said and shot out of bed, and ran down the hall to her brother's room saying 'It's finally Saturday' at the top of her lungs. "Ryu!" she screamed as she threw open the door. Her brother, not used to waking up at the crack of dawn, screamed and fell out of bed. "What the hell, Ayaka! I am _trying_ to sleep! And if you were normal, you'd go back to bed and leave me alone, before I kill you," he yelled. Ayaka, not taking in a thing of what her brother just said, yelled, "It's Saturday! And you know what that means?" Ryu, still angry, said, "No, I have no idea what the fuck that means. Now go away and leave me alone," and climbed back into bed. "No, I like it here, so I'm going to stay. And _since_ you don't know what today is, I'm going to tell you," said Ayaka. "I can't wait," said Ryu under his breath and twirling his finger. Ayaka smiled mischievously. "Today's the day of the ball!" she said. Ryu, half asleep, wasn't listening. "Did you hear me?" asked Ayaka. "No," said Ryu. Ayaka groaned. "Ryu! You're supposed to be listening! Today is the day of the costume ball…" a thought just struck her head, "…and you don't have anything to wear to it," she said, a hint of evilness in her voice. By now, Ryu was wide-awake. _Oh shit, she's right. I don't have a costume_, he thought, _Dammit! I hate it when she's fucking right all the time! _He sighed. "All right, I'm up," he said and got out of bed. Ayaka smiled deviously. _Victory is mine!_ She thought. "Good. Now you and I can go look for your costume. Who do you want to go as?" she asked. Ryu looked at the ceiling, thinking. "Dracula," he finally said, looking at her and smirking. Ayaka rolled her eyes. "Fine, meet me in the living room after breakfast so we can go look for your costume," she said and left. "At the crack of dawn? Nobody's up this early!" he yelled at her, as she was just about to enter her room. She looked at him. "By the time we're done taking a bath and all that, people will be up," she said and went into her room.

She was just about to jump on her bed, out of sheer excitement, when a voice behind her froze her in her tracks. "Good morning, Princess," it said. She turned. Captain Zhao was standing in her doorway smirking. Ayaka gasped. _Fuck! I'm only in my nightgown! And it's way above my knees!_ She thought. Zhao looked her up and down, his eyes coming to rest at her chest and legs. All Ayaka could do was stand there, too scared and nervous to move. "Hmm…you have nice legs, Princess, long and slender. Perfect for anything," he said. He was just about to step inside when Ryu stepped into the hall, all dressed and ready to go. Zhao turned his head to see the young Prince standing two feet away from him, glaring at him with the utmost loathing. "What the hell are you doing at my sister's door, Zhao?" he asked menacingly. Zhao smirked. "It's 'Captain' to you -" Ryu cut him off. "I don't give a fuck! What are you doing?" he said. "I was just saying good morning," he said innocently. "There's nothing wrong with that is there? If there is I'd be happy to…fix the problem," he said also glaring at Ryu. Ryu's eyes widened. Then a smile ran across his face. "Really?" he said, "Then I'll be more than happy if you left my palace and never came back…_ever_." Zhao chuckled. "It's not you palace yet, boy," he said. He turned to Ayaka who was still rooted to the spot. "I'll see you at the ball, Princess," he said and left. Ryu watched him leave and enter his room. He looked at his sister, who was still unable to move. "Are you all right?" he asked her. "Yeah…I'm fine," she managed to say. She ran her fingers through her hair and straightened her nightgown. "I am going to take a bath and meet you in the kitchen." "I thought you said living room," said Ryu. Ayaka ignored him and said, "Then, we can go look for your costume," and took her towel and left for the bathroom.

By the time she was done, Ryu had already eaten breakfast and was waiting for Ayaka at the door. "Did you eat breakfast?" he asked her when she came up to him. "Yes, can we go now?" she said. "Alright," said Ryu, and they walked out of the palace and into the town. They stopped by a shop that sold every costume imaginable. They walked inside and almost immediately found what they were looking for. They walked to a back corner of the shop and Ryu picked up his costume. It had a white long-sleeved shirt, with black pants, and a black cape. It also had fake teeth and stuff like that. "Well, we found it," said Ayaka. "Yup," said Ryu. "Well," said Ayaka. "Well, what?" Ryu said. "Well, aren't you going to try it on? You know, to see if it fits!" she said, annoyed at how stupid he could sometimes be. Ryu tried on the costume and discovered that the pants didn't fit him right, and so he and Ayaka went up to the owner's desk to see what he could do. "Excuse me," began Ryu. The owner looked at him. "What?" he said. He was old and bald, and he had a ton of wrinkles that made him look even older than he really was. Ryu and Ayaka couldn't help but stare at the man, for they were amazed that someone this old could still be alive, they thought he looked positively ancient. "What!" he said yet again, for the siblings were silent. Ryu stopped staring at once. "Hi," he said. "Look, this costume's pants don't seem to fit me right." The owner looked at him and said, "Well? What do you want me to do about it?" "We would like for you to fix it for us," said Ayaka, rather rudely. The owner glared at her. "Please," she added hastily and looked at the ground. "I don't feel like it. Go somewhere else," said the owner. _This is where being a Prince really comes in handy_, thought Ryu. "Alright, look," said Ryu, authority in his voice. The man looked at him. "If you don't fix this for us, we," he pointed to himself and Ayaka, "are going to do bad things to you. _Very_ bad things," The owner laughed. "Like what? It's not like you can make me fix it," It was Ayaka's turn to speak. "Try us," she said, looking at the man in the eye. "If you don't fix this for us…" began Ryu, "…then we'll have you thrown in the dungeons." The man looked scared, he finally knew who these kids were. "All right, give it here, I'll fix it," he said. Once the costume was fixed, the two siblings started walking home.

"I wonder what Mom and Dad going wear tonight," said Ayaka. "I'd rather not think about that right now," said Ryu. Ayaka looked at her brother. "You okay? You seem out of it," she told him. "I'm fine," he said. "Ryu, you're not a very good liar," said Ayaka. He sighed. "All right, the truth is, I'm not fine," he said. "Why, what wrong?" his sister asked. "I'm worried about tonight, for you," he confessed. "Why would you be worried about tonight for my sake?" Ayaka asked. He sighed. "Because…because what if…what if Mom and Dad, and especially Zhao, find out that your in love with Zuko? What are you going to do?" he asked her. Ayaka rolled her eyes. "Ryu relax, will you? No one is going to find out. Zuko and I will keep the lovey-dovey stuff to…a low but slightly high level," she said. "Ayaka," he said. She stamped her foot. "Oh all right," she said, "A level so low that no one will suspect a thing. Happy?" Ryu smiled, "Yes," he said. "Well I'm glad _you're_ happy. Now let's go home," said Ayaka. Back at the palace, Ryu tried on his newly tailored costume and found out, to his pleasure that it fit like a glove. "Well, well, well, Ryu. You'll have trouble fighting off the girls in that costume," said his Mother when he showed it to her. "Yes, you look dashing, son," said his Father. "Are you planning on wearing a mask?" his Mother asked. "No, actually. I thought I'd wear no mask with this, so people know who and where I am," said Ryu. His parents nodded. "Ayaka, your costume is ready, right?" asked her Father. "I don't think you can call it a costume, it's just a dress. But, yeah, it's ready," she said. "Excellent," said her Father. "Would you like to see our costumes?" said their Mother. "No!" said the siblings in unison. "Uh…" began Ryu, "…what we mean is…" Ayaka took over. "Why ruin it for us? We want to be surprised out of our wits," she said. "All right," said their Mother, "See you tonight then," she said and left to work on the decorations with her husband.

Ayaka and Ryu walked back to their rooms, but just as Ayaka was going into her room, she grabbed Ryu and dragged him inside. "What the fuck!" he said to her once she closed the door and locked it. "I'm sorry, it's just that my room is the only place safe enough to talk about Zuko," said Ayaka. Her brother sighed. "All right, shoot," he said. "I'm worried," she said. "About what?" asked Ryu. His sister started pacing. "What if I sent that invitation for nothing?" she said. "Ayaka," said her brother. "What if he doesn't come?" she said. "Ayaka," said Ryu. "What if -" she began. "Ayaka!" said Ryu cutting her off. She looked at her brother. "He is going to come, don't worry," he said. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Of course I'm sure. The boy is head over heels for you, why wouldn't he come?" Ryu told her. Ayaka smiled. "All right, I believe you," she said. "Good," said Ryu smiling. "Now can I get out of your room now?" She laughed. "Go ahead," she said. "Thank you," said Ryu. He unlocked the door and opened it. Both he and his sister gasped. "I heard every word," said Captain Zhao. He chuckled. "What the fuck do you want you bastard?" said Ryu. "You'd better be nice to me, Ryu, or I'll tell the entire palace about the Fire Lord's son and your sister," said Zhao glaring at him. "You wouldn't," said Ryu. Zhao smirked. "Try me," he said, his face inches away from Ryu's. Ryu held the doorknob tightly, ignoring the fact that he was digging his nails into his flesh, and that his knuckles were turning white. Zhao's smile broadened. He looked at both Ryu and Ayaka. "I'll see you two tonight," he said. As soon as he finished saying 'tonight', Ryu slammed the door in his face.

"Fuck, this is bad," said Ryu. "This is my fault," said Ayaka. Ryu looked at her. Her eyes were swimming with tears. "No it's not," he said. "Yes, it is," she said. "No, Ayaka, it's not. It's nobody's," he said. "Then what are we going to do?" she asked him. Ryu sighed and gave his sister a hug. "We pray that Zuko has a wicked good costume," he said.


	13. Chapter 13

**Konnichiwa, minna-san! Glad you all liked Chapter 12! This chapter will be second to last. I was hoping to end it on an odd number, but that didn't work out. Oh well! Well, I hope you all enjoy Chapter 13! Though, I don't know why it's this long. I think I got carried away, sorry!**

**Brokn Innocence- **You are forgiven Sensei. You have raised a very good pupil (if I may say so myself) your review has meant a lot. THANK YOU!

**Ally- **For the last time, I NOW ACCEPT ANONYMOUS REVIEWS! You can review on the website, damn you! Do you not know how to read? Just click the little periwinkle colored rectangle at the bottom of the page, and REVIEW! It's not that hard! You don't have to send me emails. But anyways, THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING!

**Flames 220-** Hiya! Thank you for your review! Dude, a room smelling like overused batteries is not a pleasant thing to inhale. I'm saying this from experience, cause I have a typewriter, (holy shit, who uses those anymore?) and if you leave it on for even a few minutes, the whole room will start wreaking of overused batteries, it's just…blagh. It's gross. Unfortunately, I'm sorry if I disappoint you, but you might not be laughing at what Zuko wears to the ball. However you might be laughing at what he _tries on_ to figure out what he's going to wear to the ball. And yes, making fun of Zhao is always a heart-filling moment. For when you make fun of Zhao, you are at peace.

**Lavanderrose- **Me too, I hope Zhao burns in Hell! I totally agree with you on that, yeah! Thank you, my sista, for letting me see the light. Oh, and thanks for your review.

**Hiko-Chan- **Hi, Hiko-Chan! I've missed you! Where have you been? Thanks for your review; it's so good to hear from you again! When I got your review, I was so excited! I was like, OH MY GOD IT'S HIKO-CHAN! WOOO! Thanks for reviewing!

**Enjoy Chapter 13 everybody!**

Chapter 13: Duel 

Zuko went into every store that he and his Uncle could find, but so far he couldn't find the perfect costume to wear to the ball. _"It has to be the perfect costume…sophisticated but child-like, flashy but mysterious, crazy but subtle,"_ he had said when he and his Uncle left the Palace. He kept repeating that sentence over and over again when he didn't find _The_ Costume. He was now repeating it to his Uncle for the umpteenth time in a row. "Now remember Uncle, it has to be-" But Iroh cut his nephew off and said, "Yes, yes, I know Prince Zuko, it has to be _perfect," _he waved his arms around,_ "sophisticated but child-like, flashy but mysterious, crazy but subtle, _I know! You think I would have forgotten after the 18th time you told me? Hmph, I think not," the general said to his nephew. Zuko sighed. "I know Uncle," he said, "and I'm sorry. It's just that I'm really nervous and I want this costume to be the best. I want it to be so good, that Ayaka and I will have to spend some time together." "And just exactly what do you plan to do with your time alone?" asked Iroh, suspicious of his nephews plans for that night. "Nothing…" Zuko said a little too innocently "…that two teenagers don't normally do," said he added in a hushed voice. His Uncle heard him though. "Prince Zuko, I heard you," said Iroh warningly. _Shit_, thought Zuko. He groaned. "What? You asked me and I told you! What more do you want me to say?" he asked defensively. "Prince Zuko, keep your hormones under control tonight, you understand?" said the General. Zuko groaned and said, "Yes, Uncle, I understand." _Although, I'm not so sure how I can do that, _he thought. "Good," said Iroh, pleased with himself. But Zuko started again. "Well, how bout-" But his Uncle cut him off with a strict "No." "But if-" began Zuko, but again he was cut off. "No," said Iroh. "What if she-" "No," said his Uncle and this time Zuko knew that he meant it. "Now if you are done arguing with me about how you and Ayaka are to spend your free time together, I suggest that we hurry and find you a costume," said Iroh settling the matter. "Let's go check that store," he said, pointing to one that was not that far from them.

When they entered the shop, there was a tiny jingle sound from the bell that was hung above the door. The owner looked up from his desk, wondering who this costumer was. "Ah, General Iroh, _and_ Prince Zuko! What an honor it is to have you in my shop," said the owner, a wild haired man with disheveled clothes on. _Holy shit, this guy must be crazy! _Thought Zuko with a disgusted look on his face, _but…his shop does seem clean…although I can't say the same about his clothing. _"Hello, Oli. Zuko and I are here looking for a costume," said Iroh. "Well, you've come to the right place, sirs. I have lots of costumes. May I ask the occasion?" said Oli. "No," said Zuko, placing his hand on the desk with such force that he was sure he heard the wood crack. Behind him Iroh raised an eyebrow. Zuko looked at Oli straight in the eyes, without blinking once. He looked intimidated. Zuko grinned, _I love it when I win_, he thought. Oli gulped, cold fear spreading through his body. "A-alright," he said, "P-please f-f-f-follow me, and I will give you some costumes to try on." Zuko brought back his hand. "Thank you," he said. He and Iroh followed Oli to the middle of the shop. "As you can see there are many costumes to chose from in my shop," he said turning his attention to them. "Now Prince Zuko if you will go to the dressing room in the back of the shop, I will hand you some costumes to try on," he said to Zuko who had his arms folded. Zuko raised his eyebrows. "Please don't hurt me I'm just doing my job," said Oli as he bowed with his hands in prayer position in front of his head. Zuko tried his best to stifle his laughter. He walked passed Oli and went to the dressing rooms. Oli came out of his bow and looked at the General.

"Is he always like that, sir?" he asked him. "No, just when he's nervous," said Iroh. "Oh," said Oli. There was a pause. "Why is he nervous?" asked Oli. "DO YOU WANT ME TO COME BACK OUT THERE AND HURT YOU?" yelled Zuko from the dressing rooms. Oli looked nervously at the area where Zuko's yell originated. He whimpered. " I think I'd better keep my thoughts to myself," he said to Iroh. "I think you are making a wise choice," said Iroh in return stroking his beard and grinning. Oli picked out some random costumes from the rack, and handed them over to Zuko by placing them on the top part of the door of the dressing room. "You might like these Prince Zuko," he said. Zuko just stared at them, for they were a variety of colors, ranging from pink so bright it practically blinded him, to a red so deep it looked like blood. _I am not wearing these_, he thought. "Come on Prince Zuko, I want to see," said Iroh. "Uncle, you are not helping this situation, I am not wearing these ridiculous costumes," said Zuko picturing himself in a pink tutu with his Uncle and the shop owner laughing their asses off at him. He shuddered at that thought. "The only way that I'm going to wear these things is when all hell freezes over and pigs fly," he said in an undertone. Iroh sighed. "Uh, sir," said Oli in a whisper. He had a big smile on his face. "I have this costume for him to try on, you know, as a joke, since he's so nervous," he added as he held up a Tarzan costume. Iroh smiled, although he never really likes playing jokes on people, he figured that since his nephew was so nervous about tonight, he might as well do something to cheer him up (just so long as he doesn't start blasting fire everywhere). "Give me the costume, I'll give it to him," he said. Oli handed the General the costume and watched as he gave it to the Prince. "Here Prince Zuko, I want you to try this," he said as he handed him the costume. "ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE!" he yelled, "I'M NOT WEARING THAT!" "Watch your mouth Prince Zuko, and I deserve respect from you, you understand?" said Iroh. Zuko sighed, "Yes Uncle, but I'm not wearing that…thing," he said with disgust in his voice. "Oh, come now, Prince Zuko. We could all use a little laugh, even you being so nervous," said Iroh.

Zuko groaned as he snatched the costume a tried it on. To his complete surprise (and anger) it fit. "I'm coming out now. Ready?" he asked them. "Oh, we are dying to see you," said Iroh, trying to contain his laughter at the thought of his nephew wearing a ridiculous costume, but failing miserably. "Oh, yes, we can't wait," said Oli and he too was laughing uncontrollably. Zuko sighed. _I'M NOT EVEN OUT YET AND THEY'RE LAUGHING! DAMN THEM! _He thought. Nonetheless, he came out of the dressing room…not happy at all. The moment Iroh and Oli saw him they burst out laughing. Zuko felt like disappearing forever. "No amount of therapy will ever make this moment okay," he said to himself. (A/N: I got that from "The Fairly Odd Parents". I just thought it would be funny to add that in somewhere.) Iroh laughed harder than ever at the sight if his nephew. "Okay, P-Prince Zuko, you m-may change now," he said as he continued to laugh. "Thank you!" said Zuko relieved to get out of this stupid costume. "Wait," said Oli, "I have one more costume for you to try on." "What, a BALLERINA COSTUME!" yelled Zuko. He didn't want to try on anything else. Right now, if he had his way, he'd go naked to the ball. Oli had to cram his fist in his mouth to keep from laughing at the poor Prince. "No," he said when his laughter subsided, "This." He held up a "Phantom of the Opera" costume. Zuko's eyes widened. He had found the costume he was looking for.

At King Kokuyo's Palace 

Ayaka hummed, as she got ready for the ball. The only thing she had done was her hair, which was put in an elegant bun. She had mixed feelings about tonight. The first thing she was worried about was Zuko: if he's going to show up, and if he does, what will they do? The second problem was, Zhao. He already found out her secret just hours before, and now she was worried at what he will do to Zuko. _If he finds him, _she thought with a smirk on her face. "Zhao thinks that finding Zuko is going to be a piece of cake for him? Ha! Think again, you fucking bastard," she said quietly to herself. There was a knock at her door. "Who is it?" she asked. "It's me, Ryu, may I come in?" said her brother. "How do I know it really is you? I mean, you could just be Zhao pretending to be Ryu," she told him smiling mischievously. Ryu sighed and said glumly, "Because when I was five years old, and stupid, I did something that I shouldn't have done and ended up pissing my pants." Ayaka laughed. "All right it's you come in," she said. "What the hell? Ayaka, it's seven thirty and you only have your hair done?" Ryu exclaimed. He was already in his Dracula costume and holding a white mask. He really did look handsome. "Chill, Ryu. I have everything under control don't worry about it," said Ayaka. Ryu snorted. "Yeah, right, the day you have everything under control is the day I Earthbend," he said. Ayaka stuck out her tongue at him. "Shut up," she said. Ryu smirked. "I thought you weren't wearing a mask Ryu," said Ayaka. "Are you kidding?" the elder boy said. "With Zhao's big-ass nose sniffing out Zuko, he has to get a little confused so…I'm helping with the frustration and agony," he said as he put on the mask and smiled. "Okay, whatever you say, Ryu," said his sister. Her brother noticed her sad tone, and he knew that she was worried about Zuko. "Hey, don't worry about it, everything's gonna fine, okay?" he said soothingly as he gave her a hug. "Okay," she said smiling, "Now get out, I'm going to put on my dress," and she shoved him out the door and closed it in his face.

Just as she was putting the sleeves on, her door burst open to reveal the smirking face of Captain Zhao. She turned, quickly putting the sleeve on and trying to zip it, but it was no use, she couldn't reach the zipper. _Dammit! Of all the dresses, Mom just had to pick this particular one… And why the hell does he have to pop up everywhere, at exactly the right moment for him, but the wrong moment for me! Damn him! _She thought. "Well, well, well, Princess, don't you look beautiful," he said to her. Ayaka glared at him. "Do you need help?" he asked her. _Shit_, she thought as her eyes widened. She cleared her throat nervously. "Uh…no I don't actually. So if you can just leave-" But Zhao cut her off saying, "No I don't think I will, actually. I like it here in your room, it's very…cozy." And he walked in, his smirk widening into an evil smile. Ayaka backed away from him, fear spreading throughout her entire body. "Get out," she said. Her right sleeve fell off her shoulder and she quickly pulled it back up. Zhao chuckled and in one swift movement, Ayaka felt his lips against hers. _Holy shit, this is not happening to me! _She thought as she tried to fight her way out of Zhao's grasp, but only ended up in a corner. Sensing her struggle, Zhao put his arms around her waist, pulling her close and deepening the kiss. _No, no, no, no, no! This is so wrong! Get off me you asshole! _Ayaka thought as she desperately tried to break free. Just then, a burst of fire was shot into the room missing them by inches. Zhao released his grasp upon the struggling teenage girl and turned to face his attacker. Ryu was standing in the doorway, mask off and looking as mad as hell. "Get…away…from her," he said menacingly. Zhao grinned. "Protecting her are you?" he said to the eighteen-year-old. "You bet," said Ryu, "And if you come _anywhere _near her tonight, you'll have to deal with me. Got it?" Zhao frowned as he walked towards the boy, whose brown eyes were glaring at him with the utmost loathing. "You wouldn't last five minutes in a duel with me," he said. "Is that a challenge?" Ryu asked. Zhao smirked. _My God you smirk too much_, thought Ryu. "No," said Zhao, "it's the truth."

"Go to hell," said Ryu. Ayaka put her hands to her mouth as she saw Zhao strike her brother across the face. Ryu turned his head, his face stinging. He grinned. "It's gonna take a lot more than that to phase me," he said. It was Zhao's turn to grin. "We shall see," he said as he walked out of the room. Ryu looked at his sister, her blue eyes filled with shock and fear. "Are you all right Ayaka?" he asked her. She shook her head. "No," she whispered as she slid to the floor. Ryu rushed over to her and cradled her in his arms. "It's all right, everything's going to be okay," he whispered. Ayaka relaxed in his arms and listened to the beating of his heart. Then her calmness turned into anger. She broke free of her brother's protective grasp. "What wrong?" he asked her. "Everything," she said and stood up. Ryu saw that her head was bowed and her hands were bawled into fists with smoke billowing out of them. "Ayaka," said her brother carefully. "This…fucking…SUCKS!" she yelled, the smoke in her fists growing darker. "HERE I AM FEELING SORRY FOR MYSELF, WHEN THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE, SULKING IN MY ROOM AND BEING ROCKED TO SLEEP BY MY BROTHER LIKE A LITTLE KID!" The smoke grew darker with every word she said until it was black. "I'M NOT GOING TO PUT UP WITH THIS ANYMORE! FROM NOW ON I'M GOING TO START STICKING UP FOR MYSELF, AND IF ANYBODY SAYS OTHERWISE, THEY'RE GONNA GET FUCKING PUNCHED!" Ryu just looked at his sister, awestruck at her words. _Wow, she's pissed_, he thought. He stood up just as Ayaka turned to him, eyes blazing with anger. "Ryu," she said. "Yes," he said cautiously. " Can you help me zipper my dress?" she asked. "Okay," said Ryu, "just promise me you bite my head off." Ayaka laughed bitterly. "I promise," she said.

Once she and Ryu were outside, they went straight to the ballroom, which was already packed with people. "Whoa! Who's that gorgeous piece of work?" said Ryu looking up at the table and seeing a woman in a black bunny tailed leotard, black fishnet stockings, bunny ears, and black shoes talking to someone. Ayaka looked as well and saw whom it was her brother was talking about. "That's Mom," she said. He turned to her looking shocked. "That's Mom!" he exclaimed. His sister nodded, amazed at his stupid boy-ish ways. Ryu looked at his Mother again. "She looks hot," he said grinning. "Oh my God, Ryu! That's…disturbing beyond all reason!" said Ayaka. "What? It's the truth, she looks damn hot!" Ryu argued. Ayaka groaned. "You're impossible," she said and walked away from him. "Ayaka wait!" said Ryu running after her. "Ayaka!" said a familiar voice of people. She turned and saw her friends, Tangi, Ryoko, and Suki with their masks off and waving to her to come and greet them. "Tangi, Ryoko, Suki! It's so good to see you all," she said as she walked towards them. "Hey, it's nice to see you too," said Tangi giving her a hug. He was wearing a Clifford costume (A/N: I seriously doubt if they had "Clifford" back in that time period, but I'm running out of good mature costume ideas, so you guys are going to have to bear with me. The rest of her friends have stupid costumes so stay with me here. Please don't beat me up) and holding a red mask. "Nice costume, Tangi," said Ayaka sarcastically. Her friend smiled broadly. "Thanks," he said, "I got it on sale," Ayaka laughed and looked at what her other friends were wearing. Suki was wearing a "Corpse Bride" costume with a white mask, and Ryoko was wearing a butterfly costume with a pale yellow mask, and they both looked pretty darn stupid. Suki looked at her with hurt in her eyes. "What's wrong, Suki?" asked Ayaka. She sighed. "I still can't believe you're getting married to a pig like Zhao," she said. "Don't remind me," said Ayaka shaking the horrible moment of earlier out of her mind. "Hey, enough with all this, 'oh my God, you're getting married to Zhao' crap," said Ryoko, as a fast paced song was playing, "and let's go dance! I'm in a dancing mood!"

The circle of friends laughed. Suddenly, Ayaka felt a pair of hands cover her eyes, and a familiar voice whisper to her, "Guess who, Princess." Seeing as it was not Zhao's voice she heard, she turned around and saw a pair of golden eyes staring right back at her through a white mask. "Hey," whispered Tangi to Ryoko, "who's that?" "The hell I know," she responded. Ayaka smiled at Zuko. "How'd you know it was me?" she asked in a whisper. Zuko chuckled. "Well, you do kind of stick out, with your sexy red dress and all," he said. She smiled and blushed. "That, and Ryu told me you were here," he continued. She laughed. "Ayaka," said Suki tapping her on the shoulder, "aren't you going to introduce us to your…friend?" she asked uncertain whether Zuko was really a friend. Ayaka and Zuko's eyes widened; none of her friends knew about him. "Friend," said Ayaka almost robotically, turning to them, "yes, I will introduce you to my friend." She pointed to Zuko who waved at them. They waved back. "What's his name?" asked Ryoko, eyeing him with interest. Ayaka saw this. _Oh hell no. You best back off bitch, he's my man_, she thought. "His name?" she asked. "Yeah, I mean, people do kind of have names," said Tangi. "I am deeply sorry, Tangi, but this young man's name cannot be revealed," said Ryu who popped out of nowhere. "What are you doing?" whispered Ayaka. "Just play along," he said to both her and Zuko. "Why?" asked Ryoko. "Because he has no name," said Ayaka. Zuko looked at her, she returned his look with a sorrowful look of her own. "Well, that's too bad," said Zhao, who also popped out of nowhere. _Oh shit_, thought Ayaka. _Oh shit!_ Thought Ryu. _Ooh shit_, thought Zuko. "Well, if he has no name, surely he must be an orphan? Which means that he also doesn't know that you my darling Ayaka, are my wife," said Zhao. She cringed when he called her "darling." Then without warning, he placed his hand around her waist and pulled her close to him. Ryu saw this and was immediately consumed with rage. "Alright, that is it," he said, more to himself rather than anyone else. "Zhao!" he shouted so that everyone could hear. The Captain turned his head to face his eighteen-year-old opponent with an evil grin on his face. "Yes, young Prince?" he said. "Cut the bullshit!" said Ryu, totally ignoring the fact that his parents were there. "I challenge you to an Agnikai! Right here, right now!" Zhao smiled evilly. "Very well," he said. "ALL RIGHT, EVERYBODY CLEAR A SPACE! THERE'S GONNA BE A DUEL UP IN HERE!" said someone in the crowd. Everyone moved out of the way, ready for a fight.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey, everybody! I'm happy you all liked chapter 13! However, this is gonna be the last chapter. (sob) But don't worry! There will be a sequel! I repeat THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL! You will all have more Ryu, Ayaka, and Zuko and you will all share parts in their emotional distress. But for now, let us all get on to the last chapter.**

**Fire Blazing Can S.E.- **Like I said on the top of the page, there will be a sequel, so don't worry. Thank you for the comment, by the way. It warmed my heart and made my day. (I was having a shitty day at school) I look forward to hearing from you in the sequel!

**Silver Fantasy- **Thanks for your review! I read your story as well, and it rocked! Hope to hear from you in the next story!

**Flames 220- **You'll see what happens to Ryu, don't you worry. I'm so sorry, but like all stories, this one has to end. But there WILL be a sequel! Yes, I know what j/k means so don't kill my ghost or me. (laughs) see you in the sequel! My friend, Lavanderrose wants me to ask you a question. Can you post any stories yet? She really wants to help you.

**Hiko-Chan**- Yeah, school can suck sometimes, huh. Especially with all the homework…blagh. Yes, the world will be better off without Zhao, but sadly, without him, this story wouldn't exist. CURSE YOU ZHAO! (laughs) Till the sequel! Brokn Innocence- Sensei! Calm down, Sensei, you will find out everything in this last chapter. Please remain calm, don't go into Cardiac Arrest or anything okay? (laughs) Sheesh. And I thought I got excited over things. Alexis- Thank you for reviewing my story! (finally) Thanks for the compliments too, I appreciate it. Till the sequel my friend! 

**Ally-** Thank you for reviewing! Till the sequel!

**Lavanderrose-** Thank you for reviewing my story! And once again, I am so sorry for what I did. Please forgive me, I'm really sorry.

**Enjoy the last and final chapter of this story. Then, please wait patiently for the ever so eager sequel to arrive. Although, I think I might wait a long time just to torture you! Mwuhahahahaha! But for now, Chapter 14!**

**Chapter 14: Gone **

The crowd made a huge circle for the two fighters, who were on either end, backs facing each other dressed in Agnikai uniforms, barefoot, with their upper body naked except for a piece of cloth with a golden flame on it draped around their shoulders. Both were mentally preparing themselves for the fierce fight ahead. _He's not going to get away with doing what he did to my sister_, thought Ryu, _I'll crush him like the sniveling coward he is. I'll make sure of it. _On the other side of the circle, Captain Zhao was also preparing himself for the duel. _Insolent fool_, he thought, _he thinks he can defeat me? _He grinned evilly. _Well, think again young Prince, for I have a few tricks up my sleeve, but you won't live very long to see them. _"Dear," said the Queen looking at her husband beside her, "do you think we should put a stop to this? After all Ryu's just—" But her husband cut her off. "No. Ryu's not a child anymore. He needs to take responsibility for his actions. He has challenged a Master to an Agnikai…a foolhardy thing to do, but being blinded by rage and frustration, who could blame him?" The King said this with a serious expression on his face. "But why, dear? _Why _was our son angry with Zhao?" she asked. "I do not know, my love," he responded. There was a pause. "Do you think he can win, dear?" asked the Queen. Her husband sighed, a sorrowful expression on his face. "I'll just be happy…if he lives to see another day." The Queen gasped and put a hand to her mouth and looked at her son out in the crowd. The hall had a roaring silence to it that was unbearable…everyone was eager to see the battle. Both fighters finally turned to face one another in a fighting stance. They waited for about five more minutes, and then they attacked. Zhao was the first, but Ryu dodged it with ease. "Is that the best you can do?" he called out to him, countering with a move of his own. Zhao blocked the attack with his arms and smiled. "You haven't seen anything yet!" he yelled back. (_A/N: Sorry if the duel isn't descriptive enough, it's just that I don't know that much Martial Arts so…yeah. Once again, I am so sorry!)_

Ayaka, Zuko, and the rest of Ayaka's friends stared out in transfixed awe at what was going on before them. _This has to stop, _thought both Zuko and Ayaka. _Whoa…this is intense_, thought the rest of the teens. "Do you think he's going to live?" asked Tangi. "Who? Zhao or Ryu?" asked Suki. "Ryu," he said. "Ryu's going to die," said Ryoko. "Shut up!" said Ayaka and Zuko in unison. All three friends turned to look at them. "Just…shut up, okay? I feel wicked guilty right now, because my brother is out there for me. This duel wasn't even _supposed_ to happen tonight, and you guys saying that Ryu will die, is definitely not making me feel better about this!" said Ayaka. "Hey, it's not your fault, don't be so hard on yourself," said Tangi, trying to calm her down. "Hey, shut up. She's already pissed off at you all as it is, don't get her even more mad, or you'll have to deal with me, got it Clifford?" said Zuko. Tangi glared at him but said nothing. He hated to admit it, but this guy had a point and he didn't want to cause another controversy that could result in another duel. Ryu let out a yell of pain when he failed to quickly dodge a Fire Blast from Zhao, and fell to the ground. The entire hall gave one big gasp. Zhao laughed. "Had enough, fool?" he asked the teen. Ryu grunted in pain, managed to pass a defying grin, and said, "I'm just warming up." In the sidelines, Zuko, Ayaka and their friends stared in awe and horror at the sight in front of them. "Zuko, we have to do something," whispered Ayaka looking fearfully at him. He turned to her, his amber eyes expressing a mixture of sorrow and fear. "I know…but there's nothing we can do," he said. Ayaka looked back at the duel. When she spoke, her voice was filled with determination. "We have to try," she said and dashed to where her mother and father were sitting, hypnotized. "Mother, Father, you have to stop this duel. It can't go on, Ryu could be killed!" she yelled. Her mother turned to her and said, "Dear, even if we _wanted _to stop this duel we couldn't." "But you _do_ want to stop the duel right?" Ayaka questioned. "Yes," responded her mother, "but your Father and I don't have the power to. You see once a duel has started, there is no way for it to end. The only way for it to end is if one opponent is either horribly maimed, or…" her voice trailed off. "Father?" said Ayaka turning to her father. "There's nothing I can do, your mother is right," he said. "Grrr, there must be _something!_" cried Ayaka and she dashed off to find Zuko. However when she got back to her friends, he wasn't there. "Hey Tangi, where's Z—that kid that was just here?" she asked. "I dono," he replied, his eyes glued to the action in front of him. "Suki, have you seen him?" she asked. "Seen who?" Suki asked turning her head to her. "That kid that was just here," Tangi said for Ayaka. "Umm, yeah, he said he was going somewhere," she said. "Did he say where?" Ayaka asked her. Suki shook her head. "No," she said. Ayaka sighed and forced herself to look at the duel.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In another part of the castle, Zuko walked around aimlessly, looking for nothing in particular, just exploring. _Wow, this place is huge, _he thought. He hated himself for thinking his next thought, _but it's nowhere near as big as my palace. _Then he turned a corner and ended up in a long dark corridor, large enough for about maybe two people. "Huh, this place will be perfect for make-outs," he said to himself. He walked down the corridor until something he heard made him stop dead in his tracks. "Captain Zhao has got the boy in an Agni Kai," said a voice. Zuko immediately recognized it as one of the General's that his Uncle had told him about: General Shii. "Really?" asked his companion whose voice Zuko did not recognize. "Well," it continued, "that should be interesting." The voice chuckled evilly. "I can't wait to kill them all," said General Shii. At these words, Zuko nearly stopped breathing, he could not believe what he was hearing. "Yes, but the eldest would no doubt already be dead being in an Agni Kai with Zhao. There's no way he could win anyway," said the other voice. "True," said Shii. In the corridor, Zuko stood, frozen, and the words of the old woman he had met a few days ago came flooding back to him. _Because, my boy, _she had said, _something good is about to happen to the Fire Nation…and then they will all PERISH! _The word 'perish' echoed in Zuko's mind over and over again. Not wanting to hear anymore of the conversation, he ran through the corridor to find Ayaka. And with each step, his heart was breaking, just like his uncle predicted.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in the Hall, the duel was still commencing, though both fighters looked sweaty and tired, Ryu even more so. Ayaka, Tangi, Ryoko, and Suki were still watching awestruck and immobile when Zuko ran up to them panting and clutching a stitch in his side. "Dude, where've you been?" asked Tangi, turning toward Zuko. The others looked at him as well, Ayaka face showing grave concern. "No time to explain," panted Zuko, "Ayaka, I need to speak with you, now, it's important please." Ayaka looked at him and without hesitation said, "Alright." Then they both ran towards the doors of the Hall, Zuko holding Ayaka's hand. "Where's your room?" Zuko asked her as they ran. "What? My room?" exclaimed Ayaka as she blushed uncontrollably. _Holy crap, what's he thinking?_ _I promised Ryu that we wouldn't do anything, _she thought. "Come on, where is it?" said Zuko, urgency in his voice. "Go out the doors, take a right, and it's the first one on your left," said Ayaka. Once out of the Hall, Zuko followed her instructions and before they knew it, they were at Ayaka's bedroom door. Zuko wrenched it open, flung himself and Ayaka inside, closed the door, and locked it. "Uhh…w—why did you lock the door?" asked Ayaka her blush returning, but this time a deeper shade of red. Zuko took off his mask and turned to her, his tone serious. "Pack your things," he said. "What?" asked Ayaka. "Pack your things, everything. Pack it all up and change into your regular clothes, we haven't got much time. Where's your brother's room?" he said. "Next door, Zuko, but why do I—" but Zuko cut her off. "I'll explain everything, but not right now," he said. Then he unlocked the door and left to go to Ryu's room.

Ayaka followed Zuko's instructions, bewildered. Ten minutes later, Zuko came back carrying a red rucksack over his shoulder. "Did you pack everything?" he asked her as he placed the rucksack on the floor next to her door. She nodded. "Right, I've packed everything that I think your brother would need so—" "Why did you tell me to pack my things?" asked Ayaka, cutting him off. "And why'd you pack Ryu's?" she continued. Zuko sighed, not sure where to begin. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me," he said looking at the floor. "What are you talking about? What's going on?" she demanded. Zuko looked at her, his expression filled with sorrow. After a pause he said, "You and your family are in grave danger, you need to get out of here as soon as you can." Ayaka looked at him and Zuko saw a flicker of fear in her eyes. Zuko told her everything that he had overheard in the corridor and when he was through, the fear in Ayaka's eyes was eminent. She touched the red stone of her necklace. "What about my parents? Will they be able to make it out alive?" she asked him. "It depends if whoever's planning this doesn't already have guards ready to kill them the minute they know their in danger," said Zuko. Ayaka nodded. "Right now we have to figure out how to get Ryu out of the duel or…" his voice trailed off. "Right," said Ayaka nodding, "so how are we going to do it?'

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in the Hall both fighters were looking as sweaty and tired as ever, but Ryu was looking the worst. He was panting hard and he had a horribly painful stitch on his side. He also had a long scratch on the left side of his face that was bleeding freely. He was not sure how it had gotten there but he was pretty sure he had gotten in from falling on a small sharp object. And the burn on his lower back was not so bad, it was only a first degree one anyway, it'll heal. Zhao looked bad too, but not as bad as the young Prince. All he had was a few cuts and bruises and a black eye. Other than that, he was fine. _Why aren't you dead yet, fool? I've thrown every attack I know at you, and still you stand!_ Thought Zhao. _I can't last much longer; he's going to kill me,_ thought Ryu, _no matter, death would be better than this right now, I've used up all my strength, anyway. _"Zhao," said Ryu, "like a noble man, I have challenged you to this Agni Kai…and now, like a noble man I ask you take my life. Death for me is far better than suffering this pain." The King and Queen were now sitting on the edge of their seats. Was this happening? Was their son actually _pleading_ for death? Zhao stared at the young Prince opposite him. _What's he playing at? A boy of his age would never plead for death. He must have something planned…but I cannot deny a reasonable request, _he thought grinning evilly. "Well, Prince Ryu, if you so heartily insist…" said Zhao as he shot a Fire Blast from his fist. It was sailing directly at the Prince when all of a sudden it changed course and moved to his right. Both fighters along with the rest of the onlookers looked to see who had interfered. There, at the front of the table where the King and Queen sat, stood Ayaka, bending the fire until it swirled around her and she quickly clasped it into her hands where it disappeared. When she looked at Zhao her face was livid.

_ Why did she change? _Wondered her brother. "Ayaka, what are you doing?" hissed her mother, but she did not respond. She just glared at Zhao, and then shifted her gaze to the middle of the circle where Zuko was standing. Her parents must have found what she was looking at for they gasped in shock. "Who is that?" asked the King. "A friend of mine," Ayaka finally responded. Then she walked toward her brother and said in a whisper that only he could hear, "Come with me, we have to get out of here. Don't ask questions, just do it." And he his sister walked slowly toward the door. "You Highnesses, please forgive our intrusion in the middle of this Agni Kai," said Zuko loud enough so that everyone could hear, "but you must listen to me." In the shadows, unbeknownst to everyone, lurked about 35 cloaked figures waiting like everyone else. "You and your family are in grave danger, _everyone_ here is in danger, and you must leave at once before it is too late! This is no jest, I am telling the truth I heard two men speaking about killing the Royal family, you have to believe me!" Zuko yelled. "How do we know that you're not trying to trick us, perhaps what you say is false and you are leading us into a trap!" exclaimed the King standing up and knocking over his chair. _Crap, this wasn't supposed to happen,_ thought Zuko. He stole a glance at Zhao…he looked nervous. "Father, you must listen to him, he's telling the truth!" yelled Ayaka and she left Ryu and she ran back to stand beside Zuko. "Ayaka, who is this boy?" asked her father. She remained silent. "Who are you?" he questioned again, this time directly at Zuko. In the middle of the crowd, Ryu stood staring at his parents, holding his breath. Zuko took Ayaka's hand in his and with his other, removed his mask. The whole Hall gasped again. "YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHO INVITED YOU?" bellowed the King. "I did!" yelled Ayaka glaring at her father. "Do you have any idea who you are holding hands with, you foolish girl?" he yelled at his daughter. "As a matter of fact I do Father, I am holding hands with the person I love more than anything in the entire world!" she fired back. Everyone again gasped. Ryu was no longer holding his breath, but was smiling. _Way to go Ayaka,_ he thought.

"Do you have _any _idea what this means to the Palace? To our Name? You have disgraced us all Ayaka! You are no longer my daughter!" exclaimed her father. Then in the back of the crowd, Ryu yelled, "NONE OF THAT MATTERS RIGHT NOW FATHER! WHAT MATTERS NOW IS GETTING OUT ALIVE!" There was silence in the Hall. It would have lasted longer but someone in the crowd screamed, "ZHAO'S GONE!" Everyone turned. It was true the Captain _had_ left. "Where is he?" shouted the King. "He couldn't have left, we must—" But his voice caught in his throat, his eyes grew blank and he was gasping for air. He grew pale and then he fell over the table, dead, a dagger in his back. Behind him stood Zhao, glaring at the King's body, a twisted smile on his face. "FATHER!" screamed Ryu and Ayaka. And then, as swiftly as a fox, Zhao took another dagger from a dark figure and slashed the Queen's throat. Everyone screamed and ran around in utter chaos trying to escape. Throughout all the pandemonium, Ryu somehow managed to go back to where Zuko and Ayaka were standing. "Listen, we have to get out of here right now!" he yelled. "Alright, let's go!" shouted Zuko. They ran off as fast as they could, but they could not get away from what Zhao was saying to the crowd, "NOW IT IS TIME FOR YOU TWO TO JOIN YOU PARENTS!" he said. Once Ayaka and Ryu found their things, they and Zuko burst through the door, ran down the hall, through the kitchen and towards the two maple-wood front doors. However seven soldiers ready with weapons blocked their way. "What are we going to do now?" said Ayaka when all three of them came to an abrupt halt. "What we were trained to do," said Zuko. "We fight," Ryu finished.

After several minutes of fighting, a few cuts and bruises, and a near death experience, the three teenagers were out of the palace and on shore. Zuko was straining to find his uncle out of all the ships that were there. At last he spotted him between two massive Earth Kingdom ships. "There's Uncle, come on!" he said to them as grabbed Ayaka's hand and ran, Ryu at their heels. "Uncle!" he yelled at him. General Iroh looked up to see the three of them running at top speed towards him. "So, you have found out Prince Zuko as I had hoped. Now, you must find a way to deal with the pain of losing your true love," he said quietly to himself as the came closer. "Uncle," said Zuko. "Yes," he said. "Get the boat ready. We need to get Ayaka and Ryu out of here as fast as possible," replied Zuko. Iroh smiled and said, "Already done." And he pointed beside the ship where the tiny boat floated awaiting its two passengers. "There they are, don't let them get away!" shouted someone. All four of them looked and saw two soldiers running towards them. One threw a Fire Blast which Zuko Bended to go into the ocean. "Get on the boat, quickly!" he yelled turning to them. The two siblings obeyed and got on. "Zuko come on the ship, we need to leave the island as well," said Iroh getting on. Zuko nodded and followed him. "Ryu," he said one the ship and the boat were far enough into the ocean. (Ryu had found some coal to get the boat going) "Yeah?" he replied steering the tiny boat away from the ship and out over the horizon. "Take care of Ayaka," he said. Ryu nodded. "I'll take good care of her," he told him. Zuko smiled and turned his attention to Ayaka. Unfortunately, the boat was already so far away from the ship that he had to yell to get her attention. "AYAKA!" he screamed cupping his hands around his mouth. "YES," she yelled back. "TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF AND REMEMBER THAT I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU!" Unfortunately for Zuko she was too far away to answer him. Back on the boat, Ayaka face was stained with tears falling fast upon her face. "I love you too…Zuko," she choked. On his ship, Zuko stared out at the ocean watching as the tiny boat moved farther away…watching Ayaka go…and he wondered if their love would last knowing that they were so far from each other. He stared at the horizon, his heart aching with pain…and then they were gone.

** Hope you guys like this chapter! I am so sorry it took me so long to update…I was, uh, grounded…don't ask. Please forgive me for the long wait, I'm sorry! I really am, please don't kill me! The sequel will be coming out, I promise! I'm so sorry for this. But guys, did you know that Jason Isaacs (a.k.a. Lucius Malfoy) voices Admiral Zhao? I would have never guessed in a million years! Holy crap! Anyway, please review and please don't kill me! I'm sorry! **


End file.
